Soft Skeletons
by KarmaAliceFowl009
Summary: Crona gets his first opportunity for a solo mission, and he meets the witch Lucia, who is more similar to him than he first thought. What will become of this encounter? Written with Stray Sheep! Rated M for language and later lemons. OC is the property of Stray!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **Neither of us own Soul Eater! We only own the plot and Lucy is the property of Stray Sheep!

Lord Death was waiting in the death room for him with his death scythe, Spirit. Spirit didn't look all that happy, his hands shoved in his pockets and slow he'd over with a frown, but Lord Death seemed cheerful as ever.

"You called?" the timid boy asked, wondering what this mission was. He normally never got sent on missions by himself, he usually was paired with Maka and Soul. This was a surprise.

"I have a very special job for you." He said, almost excitedly. "Do you remember the old church where you first met Maka? I need you to go back there. There's a witch hiding out in that very same church, and I need you to capture her and bring her into custody." He clasped his hands together. "This witch is... Special. She is much like you were before you came to this school. I can't think of a better student that you to bring her back."

"A-am I going by myself?" he asked, a bit worried about going on his first solo mission.

"Yes! Your first mission alone!" Lord death yelled excitedly. "Your train to Italy leaves in an hour, hurry now!" He said, apparently not wanting to waste much time dawdling.

The young boy nodded, scared out of his mind. He aimlessly walked to his room in the basement of the academy to gather his things before following Spirit to the train station. This was so surreal, he never thought he would be trusted enough to go on a mission alone. He wondered just how dangerous this witch was.

When he arrived, a rush of memories flowed over him. It was hard for him to sense anyone nearby, which means the witch probably had her soul protect up.

'Where could she be hiding?' he thought as he wandered around, trying his best to suppress the memories of his first encounter with Maka. They hurt him to think about and were very distracting from the task at hand.

The blood from his attack on soul still stained the floor by the door. Lots of memories. Then he saw her... In the light of the stained glass window, she stood with her back to him, holding herself, much like he used to.

Silently, he summoned Ragnarok to his hand, preparing for the worst. "W-who are you?" he called to the witch, trying to get her attention.

"Did you hear that? It sounds like someone doesn't know us yet..." The girl said in a soft tone, eyes turned up to the window.

He shook in fear, this girl gave him a bad feeling, and he had lived with a witch before. "Tell me your name!" he shouted, feigning confidence.

"He doesn't know who we are... I don't know what to do about that..." She said softly again as she slowly turned to finally face him, but refusing eye contact. Her hat burst open with sharp teeth as a wet tongue.

"Maybe we should eat him! He doesn't have to know who we are!" It yelled loudly, spitting everywhere.

Crona shivered in fear. It was like looking at a female version of him from those few years ago. It was unnerving. He raised Ragnarok, preparing for battle. Ragnarok cracked into a smile, licking his lips, anticipating a wonderful fight. "Your name," Crona whispered, getting tired of her games.

"It's a boy, Gurgle… I don't know what to do with boys..." She spoke to the hat nervously. "Looks like that shrimp wants a fight! Should we show him what were made of, Lucy?" The hat asked as it slobbered.

"If we must..." She replied. "We must survive." They said in tandem. She lifted her hand and a dark ball of her own aura appeared, black with purple lightening surrounding it. She finally made eye contact, her pupils shrinking. "He looks delicious, gurgle..." She said with a small smile. "You take his blood, I'll eat his flesh!" The hat cried as she started running at him.

Ragnarok's lips opened wide, screaming as Crona ran toward the witch, sword poised for an attack. "Screech Alpha!" he yelled, sending his wavelength her way as he used Ragnarok to block her attack.

"He's loud, Gurgle!" She yelled as she pressed her hand with the ball into his chest, shocking him from the inside as she shook from the swords screeching. The hat screeched back at him, tongue flailing all over.

"Come on, Lucy! This guys a wimp! And his little friend looks like a gimp penis!" The hat yelled, making her blush and lose concentration for a moment.

Crona took her moment of hesitation to his advantage, swinging Ragnarok deep into her shoulder, causing her aura to disappear momentarily.

"I am not a gimp penis!" Ragnarok yelled from his sword form.

"Ahhh! He hit me! I don't know what to do!" She cried out, holding her arm, now wounded. "I'm scared gurgle, no one gets past my electrocution... How is he still standing?" She stepped back, too afraid to attack since hers were only close range.

"Come on, Lucy, get him! Suck him dry! He can't fight if he has no blood!" Her hat yelled at her, trying to encourage her. She took a deep breath and jumped at him, knocking the boy to the ground and quickly biting hard into his neck before he could react. But... As the black liquid poured into her mouth she felt... Different than usual. This wasn't normal blood... What was this boy?!

Crona was startled at her swiftness and at her biting into his neck. What was this girl?! "Get off us you bitch!" Ragnarok yelled, appearing from Crona's back to push the witch off of them, hardening his blood so he wouldn't sustain any injuries. Crona stood up, Ragnarok turning back to his sword mode as he stalked over to the girl, the tip of the sword dragging against the ground.

"Now, give me your name," he said in a menacing tone, placing the tip of the sword against her neck.

Her eyes were wide. "A...ah..." She choke out, then gripped her neck. She was choking... When Ragnarok hardened Crona's blood, he hardened it in the girl's throat as well.

"You idiot, you're killing her!" The hat yelled at the black demon sword. "Do you want her alive or not?!"

Ragnarok liquefied the blood, allowing her to breathe. "Now bitch, tell us your name!"

Once she could breathe, she stumbled backward, shaking and afraid. How could someone so scrawny be this powerful...? "ARE YOU LETTING HIM WIN?!" The hat yelled at her.

"H-he's dangerous, he's not like the others, Gurgle!" She cried out, scooting back away from the boy. "L-Lucia... It's Lucia..." She told the boy, hoping that's all he wanted and he'd leave her alone.

"Okay Lucia, you're coming with us," he said, not moving the sword from her throat as he got out the shackles that Lord Death had provided him with.

"WERE NOT GOING ANYWHERE YOU LITTLE INGRATE! TAKE YOUR SHAKLES AND YOUR LITTLE PIMP AND SHOVE IT!" The hat yelled, spitting everywhere.

"Gurgle you're only making things worse..." She tried to calm it softly. "I can't go with you, if I do... Bad things could happen. I just want to be left alone... Why can't anyone understand that...?"

"I understand better than anyone what it's like to want to be left alone," he murmured, chaining her up. "I was like you once, afraid of everything and hurting everyone. Where I take you, you will get help," he smiled at her, locking up the shackles. "Time to go."

"I don't know what to do about being locked up like this..." She said as she was pulled to her feet. "LET US GO! YOU LITTLE BRAT! WHAT ARE YOU SOME KIND OF PIMP?! THTS IT ISNT IT YOU JUST WANT TO USE HER FOR HER BODY!" The hat yelled.

"Gurgle!" She yelled, her face bright red.

Crona ignored the hat's insults, focused on getting her back to the academy so Lord Death could get her the help she needed. He called the special number, connecting him to Lord Death. "This is Crona speaking. I have captured the target."

"Good job Crona! Spirit will be there to get you shortly!" Lord Death chirped, excited that his first mission went so well.

"Captured the target... What are you a spy now?" Spirit said in the background. Lord death chopped him on the head before waving goodbye to Crona and logged off.

"I don't want to go anywhere..." The girl moped, letting herself fall to her knees. "Don't make me go! I don't know what they'll do to me!"

"Lord Death is a kind man. He will help you!" he said, waiting for the death scythe to come as he continued ignoring the babbling hat.

She struggled and tried to get away, she managed to finagle her small wrists through the shackles although not without cuts and scrapes, and ran as fast as she could to the door, trying to push them open but they wouldn't budge.

The sound of her beating against the doors brought Crona back to two years previous when Maka did the same thing. "The doors open inwards," he mumbled, starting to lose control of his thoughts as he reverted into a slump, a mad look in his eyes.

"Why won't they open..?" She asked herself, not having heard Crona.

"He's coming, better hurry!" The hat yelled.

Crona cackled wildly, Ragnarok appearing in his outstretched hand as he gripped his arm. "People never listen," he muttered. He didn't want to lose control like he was, but it was inevitable at this point, the madness taking over.

She saw him coming, and backed up against the door before dodging past him and trying to run to the other side of the church.

"Screech Alpha," he whispered, the room filling with the intense force of his erratic wavelength as he ran toward her, sword held high to attack.

"Stop stop I don't want to fight you! You're gonna win it's not fair!" She cried out as she plugged her ears but her nose burst in blood from the intense wave.

"Too bad," he whispered, getting ready to hit her. Before he came in contact with her, however, he was tackled to the ground by Stein as Lucy was apprehended by Spirit.

Her breathing was heavy, and though she was happy to be free from Crona's hit, she tried to escape again from the death scythes grip. "N-no stop! Let me go!" She yelled, though her voice was still very soft.

"Sorry girly, no can do," he muttered, trying to tame the writhing girl as he cuffed her again.

"Glad I decided to tag along," Stein said in his usual monotone voice. "Otherwise, we would have lost both of them."

"He's fucking crazy get him away!" The hat yelled, startling Spirit as it spit all over.

"That thing can talk?" he yelled in surprise.

"She's a witch Spirit. What more did you expect from her?" Stein said holding Crona down. He continued to thrash against the mad professor, trying to break free. To silence him, he sent his wavelength through his body.

She screamed watching what he did to the boy, hoping it wouldn't happen to her. "Who are you people...?"

"We are from Shibusen, Lord Death's academy. Death Scythe and Meister," Stein said, adjusting his glasses and he slung the limp boy over his shoulder.

"What happened to him...? What did you do...?" She asked frantically.

"I just shot my wavelength into him to knock him out. Otherwise, his madness would have taken over completely and we would all be dead," he stated simply, heading for the door. "Time to go Spirit, bring the girl."

"No I don't want to go! Leave me alone!" She screamed and tried to struggle but was only making more cuts on her wrists and arms.

"No use struggling. Stein will knock you out too," Spirit said, trying to intimidate the girl. She needed to come with them for research.

She stopped but she still didn't make it easy for them and her hat kept spouting off horrible insults left and right.

"Girly, I would knock it off if I were you. I'm the nice one out of the two of us. Piss Stein off and he'll dissect you."

"D-DISSECT!" She yelled, the loudest she'd ever been. She started breathing heavily and her eyes went blank, her body went limp and her nose burst out in blood.

"I guess that's one way to shut her up," Stein joked. Spirit sighed and put her over his shoulder to carry her. They boarded the train and went back to Death City, ready to talk to Lord Death about their findings.

The whole time she was dazed and her nose kept bleeding.

They arrived at Shibusen in no time, both carrying the teenagers to the Death Room. "Lord Death, we brought back the witch and Crona," Stein reported.

"Why are they both unconscious?" he asked with a confused look on his face.

"Spirit scared the witch and I had to knock Crona unconscious because the madness took over him."

Spirit in the back looked utterly disappointed. "Why did you want her anyway? I mean bringing a witch to the school alive..." Spirit asked.

"Good question. I plan to enroll her!" Lord death said excitedly.

"Enroll her?!" he yelled, outraged. Having Crona enrolled was one thing, but a witch? Too much risk!

"Calm yourself. Not all witches are bad. I plan to enroll her in with the students, rehabilitate her, and if that goes well, I'll reveal her and enroll more witches. We could use them against the bad witches much like Crona's mother. We barely won that fight..."

"At the same time what if she's unable to change? And we almost lost Crona to madness. Witches are too unpredictable!"

"I don't plan to send her out right away... We'll see how it goes and if it goes wrong, we will decide her fate and abort the mission."

"This seems too risky Lord Death!" he cried.

"I like this idea," Stein said at the same time, a calculating look on his face. "I think this will be valuable research."

"We have to give it a chance. If it WORKS, it'll be a great benefit." He tried to explain.

"Fine," Spirit grumbled. "What about Crona though?" he asked, gesturing to the boy lying on the ground. It was worrisome that he had relapsed into the madness like he did.

"As for Crona... Just take him to his apartment. Set up a watch to make sure he'll be okay when he comes back. I think it may have been a mistake sending him back to a place with such horrid memories... He wasn't ready for that test but he found the witch and up until that point was successful in capturing her, so I say he passed. Take the witch to a cell, make sure she's comfortable but keep her locked up until Crona comes to. Then I will discuss phase two with him."

"As you wish Lord Death," he bowed, picking the boy up again to take to the apartment.

When the girl awoke she was in a cell, still dazed from her nosebleed. She held her head before looking around to decipher her surroundings. She noticed Gurgle was not on her head but when she looked she found him sitting on the bed with gauze around his mouth struggling to get free. She couldn't help but giggle a little, they must've gotten pretty annoyed with the hat.

"Care to tell me a bit about yourself?" Stein asked from outside the cell. He had been observing her this whole time, trying to gauge how much information he was going to be able to acquire from her.

"About... Myself...?" She repeated, turning to face the door where the voice was coming from. What did he want to know...? She didn't even know much about herself. Gurgle knew more about her than she did.

"You're a witch, correct? Tell me about where your powers come from."

"Witch..." She repeated once more. Was she truly a witch? That's what everyone called her throughout her life, but she barely knew the meaning of the word. "M-my powers...? They... They come from inside... My emotions control them..."

"No handle on magic," he muttered, scribbling down notes. "Do you feel compelled to hurt people?"

"Compelled...? N-no not really... Uhm... I just... do what I have to do to survive... Like I always have…" She answered, not sure why she was being asked these strange questions.

He continued to jot down notes, trying to come up with a report to give Lord Death. "Now, what is that hat to you?"

"Gurgle? He's my familiar... He's an imp that took the form of a hat to travel with me. He's my only friend..."

"Interesting," he muttered. "What were you doing in Italy and why did you try attacking one of my students?"

"Italy... Is that where I was?" She asked herself, sitting next to the struggling hat. "That boy was new... I don't know what to do with boys..."

Stein chuckled slightly as he was reminded of how Crona first was when he met him. "You do realize that if you would have killed him, you would be on trial right now, right?"

"I wasn't trying to kill him... I just wanted to get away... That boy was strong... I've never met anyone like him before..." She said with a shiver. The hat was getting pissed that she hadn't released him yet but she needed the quiet.

"You two have a lot more in common than you realize," he said, closing his notebook. He figured he had enough data collected to create a report for Lord Death. Now he just needed to go check on Crona.

"In common... But he's a boy! We're nothing alike!" She said nervously and blushing a little.

"I'm sure if you actually talk to him you will understand what I mean. Anyways, someone will come by later to bring you food," he said, walking to the Death Room.

"Wait!" She yelled, running to the door. "Will I... Ever see him again?" She asked, blushing once more.

"Yes." He walked off, leaving the witch to her own devices. He met up with Spirit outside the Death Room. "Any news on Crona?" he asked.

"So far as I've heard he's pretty much back to normal, but he's really worried that he hurt that little witch girl." Spirit answered him. "Lord Death wants them to befriend each other and help each other. He wants to get them to a point that she can be trusted to move in with him and partner up with him throughout the testing phase."

"I think that that could happen as long as they can get past the barriers that they both have up."

"Lord Death is hoping they can break down each other's walls." Spirit explained, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I just hope he knows what he's doing. Letting a witch run free around the school..."

"It's not as dangerous as you think it is," Stein said, adjusting his glasses. "There's already a witch among us."

"That's right there is... But that witch can use a weapon, the witches he wants to enroll doesn't... But their powers could be used to our advantage I guess."

"Exactly," he murmured, lighting a cigarette. "I'm going to see Crona. Let me know if anything happens with the witch."

"Alright... I'm gonna see what Lord Death needs me to do next with that girl."

Stein walked towards Crona's apartment, hoping that the boy hadn't relapsed into his old behavior.

Crona was sitting in the corner of the room, panicking. He almost hurt that girl! He can't handle this!

"Would you relax kid, the girl's fine," Stein told him, lighting another cigarette and placing it in his lips.

"What if it happens again Stein?! What if I can't control myself and I hurt someone I care about, like Maka?"

"If you keep calm you'll be fine. Look you can't let your emotions run wild like this. It was the fear that created the person you used to be after all. If you calm down and try to think rationally, you'll be just fine." He said, not even looking at the boy. "She asked to see you again you know."

"S-She did?" he asked, sniffling as he looked up at the professor. He didn't understand why she would want to see a monster such as him.

"Sure did. I bet she feels terrible for invoking you. You're not in trouble you know. You just have to be watched around her. She can bring back painful memories, and we understand that, BUT you have to work through them."

"O-okay," he stuttered, wiping away his tears. At least he didn't fail everyone like he thought he did.

"What do you say, want to go see her?" He asked, finally looking him in the eye. "I bet she'll be excited."

"I-I guess so," he muttered, standing up to walk over to the professor. He was still scared that something was going to go wrong again and that he actually would hurt someone.

"Remember what I said. Just relax. Don't let your emotions go haywire, take a deep breath when you feel overwhelmed alright?" He told Crona, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder as he led the boy to the dungeons.

"O-okay," he breathed. He could do this. Before he knew it, he was outside of the room where she was being kept and he felt his heart begin to race. 'Deep breaths, deep breaths,' he repeated in his mind, trying to stay calm.

Stein unlocked the door and stepped back so Crona could have a little privacy with her. "If you need help I'll be right out here." He told him and sat on a chair outside the room.

**A/N:** Cliffhanger! Mwahaha! Hope you guys enjoy! Should hopefully update soon! Read and Review lovelies!


	2. Chapter 2

Crona nodded and walked into the room, seeing her sitting in the corner of the room, not too much unlike how he was when he was in the dungeon himself. "Ummm hello," he said, trying to get her attention.

What he didn't realize was she was asleep, her head buried in a pillow she'd been hugging but her head was turned from him. The hat sat on the bed across the room, asleep as well.

He smiled softly at the sight of her. When she was asleep like this, she wasn't as menacing as before. He didn't want to disturb her, but he needed to talk to her.

"HEY PANSY GET UP YOURE LITTLE BOYFRIEND IS HERE!" The hat yelled suddenly. The girl didn't move but it was obvious she was awake now by the excessive amount of blood bursting from her nose.

Crona turned red, she wasn't his girlfriend! What was this hat talking about?

She was too afraid to look at the boy now. Her face was bright red and her nose was bleeding profusely again as she tried to hide her face.

"H-Hi my name is Crona. I-I was told you wanted to see me," he stuttered out, nervous.

She blushed even harder, her eyes spiraling from embarrassment until she fell over to her side, still in the fetal position. "W-w-wha-w-a..."

"Are you okay?!" he asked, nervous. He knew he hurt this girl! They lied to him!

She got up onto her knees and hands and wiped her nose with her sleeve. "W-why are you here...?" She asked nervously. She was glad to see he was okay but she was still wary of his gender.

"T-they said that you wanted to see me," he whispered, eyes adverting to the ground.

"I-I wanted t-to see if you... Were okay." She said.

"YOU'RE SUCH A LIAR!" The hat screamed. She turned red again. "I know those little dreams and thoughts that go through your head." It teased her.

Crona was completely confused now. Dreams? About him? What was that hat even talking about?

"Stop it gurgle!" She yelled at it.

"Go ahead, show the little brat your dream journal!" It said and cackled wildly.

"W-what is that thing talking about?" he finally asked, looking at her.

"Nothing! It's nothing..." She tried to convince him, red in the face.

"O-okay," he muttered, not completely believing her. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"I-I didn't... I just..." She tried to find an excuse.

"SHE WANTS TO PLAY OUT HER FANTASIES ABOUT YOU!" The hat yelled. She took a rock from the floor and threw it at the hat.

"Stop it gurgle!" She yelled, obviously getting mat at the hat.

Crona blushed red, embarrassed from what the hat was implying. "W-well if you ever need to talk, I-I can help," he stuttered. It was then that Ragnarok decided to make an appearance.

"Loverboy! Quit your bumbling. It makes you look like a fool!" he yelled, appearing from his back.

Poor Lucia started panicking, so much so her nose burst in blood again and she fell backward, stunned and dazed on the floor as the hat and Ragnarok both spouted comments about the two of them back and forth.

Crona rushed to her side, worried that she passed out so suddenly.

He noticed a notebook fall from the bed that read "dream journal" on it. He could take advantage if he really wanted to... "Go ahead... Take a look. I bet you'll find something interesting on the last page!" The hat egged him on, cackling wildly.

Should he risk her privacy and read this journal like the hat suggested? No, he couldn't invade her personal life like that.

She'd come to as he was staring at the notebook, her face back to normal as she looked away in shame, knowing what was in that book.

"D-Don't worry! I didn't read it!" he yelled, feeling bad that he had been caught even looking at it.

"I wouldn't blame you if you did..." She said, refusing eye contact. "Can you let me go before I get a noise bleed again please..." she muttered as her face turned red again.

He quickly let go of her, afraid that he offended her. "Why do you get nosebleeds so often anyways?"

She wiped her nose with her sleeve again and sat up on the ground, looking to the floor. "I don't know what to do about boys... And when I get too nervous or stressed out, that's how my body reacts..." She said nervously and shamefully. It was a natural reaction for her, something she couldn't control.

He gave her a soft smile. "I know how you feel about not knowing what to do about people of the opposite gender."

"But you're a boy... I thought... I was always told boys don't think with their brains so they're never scared of girls..." she said, hugging her knees.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHHH I KNEW IT! THIS PANSY IS A VIRGIN!" the hat cackled wildly.

Crona blushed red at the hat's comment, not knowing what to do. "G-girls scare me!" he yelled out.

She paused and looked up at him finally. "Th-they do...?" She asked softly. Was he telling the truth? Was he really as terrified of her as she was of him?

"Y-yeah. I never know what to do around girls so I stutter and ramble on and on…"

She giggled and blushed. "Yeah me too..." Truthfully she thought a boy acting that way was adorable, but she'd never be confident enough to say it...

Crona heard her giggle and smiled. Maybe this is why Lord Death sent him on this mission, so he could help her become more like him and not be afraid of everyone.

"So... If they aren't going to kill me, then why am I here?" She asked, changing the subject. "They're going to dissect you! See what makes you tick!" The hat said teasingly, then cackled at its own joke. But she didn't think it was a joke, she became terrified.

"No worries! No dissection will be done to you!" Crona assured her, hoping that he was right. "Lord Death just wants to help you!"

"B-but why? Why help a witch? Doesn't this school hunt our souls?" she asked.

Crona pondered this for a moment. Why would they want to help? "Lord Death wants to attempt to make a treaty with witches."

"A... Treaty...?" She asked, still nervous.

"Yes a treaty," Stein said from outside the door. "He wants to create peace in the world, and what better way than to side with witches?"

"I see..." she thought. "But... What can I do from here...? I'm a prisoner who has people issues..."

"W-well I was the same when I first came here," Crona muttered, hoping he would make her feel better.

"But you're not a witch. You're not hated by everyone automatically because of what you were born as. I bet you're not hunted down daily by people that want your soul..."

"They don't want my soul, but I am hated by a lot of people because of what I was born as," he said with a sad smile.

She frowned, feeling bad for insulting him but her eyes dodged away and she held herself. "Besides..." She said as her pulls shrank. "... The doors only open inwards. Right? That's what you told me isn't it Crona..? It had nothing to do with the church doors did it..." She said, madness starting to fill the room. "The doors only open inward... Once the madness is in it never really leaves does it... You just suppress it... Isn't that right?" Her lips curled in a crooked smile.

Crona gulped, breathing heavily. He mustn't let the madness get to him again. He could feel Ragnarok stirring, wanting to be released, but he suppressed him.

"It's wonderful isn't it..?" She said as she tilted her head back and started touching her body; her arms, her chest, her neck, as if the madness was somewhat pleasurable. "...madness is the only absolute." She said before chuckling and continuing to run her hands over herself. It was like she was bathing in the madness, lathering herself in it, immersing herself in it.

Crona stumbled backward, back hitting the wall as he gasped. His reason slowly started to leave him as she continued her actions, a mad grin appearing on his face as he chuckled lightly. He forgot how good the madness felt when it overtook him.

"It's freedom... Free from thought, free from reason... The only absolute..." She said as she walked toward him. She took his hand in hers and placed it on her cheek, looking straight in his eyes. "Free from thought, free from reason, only absolute..." She repeated over and over as she took his hand and caressed her cheek with it.

"It's wonderful," he cackled, continuing to caress her soft skin. From outside the room, Stein doubled over in pain, the madness starting to seep into him as well.

"We can do this together... Let the madness in... The doors only open inward, don't they Crona?" She said as she stepped closer, sudden rush of confidence thanks to the madness. "Together..." She repeated and pressed her body close to his.

His hands moved on their own accord, pulling her to him. "Yes, together," he whispered, looking into her eyes.

Maka burst into the room, having been told by her panicking father that madness was spreading from here and knowing Crona was involved... The second Maka burst in, Lucia snapped back to reality and, seeing how close she was to Crona, burst into a nosebleed again and went limp.

"Crona! Are you okay? Get away from her!" Maka yelled, but her words were getting nowhere with him for he was too far gone in the madness.

"The doors only open inward Maka," he cackled, looking at the girl with madness in his expression.

Lucia sat up and wiped her nose with her sleeve. "What have I done...?" She mumbled to herself before getting up and wrapping her arms around him from behind. "I'm sorry! This is my fault, come back... I'm sorry..." She said before clenching her eyes shut and sending a shockwave of lightening through him like she had before, hoping to shock him back to reality.

Crona stiffened from the shock before collapsing in her arms, knocking unconscious. "What did you do to him?!" Maka yelled, pulling Crona away from her and glaring at the witch.

"I had to! It's the only way to pull him back to reality..." She explained nervously, backing away for the two toward the corner and curling into a ball.

"I meant before that. What did you do to him to make him like that!" she growled, setting Crona on the floor before cornering her.

"I-I'm sorry! I can't control it!" She said nervously, back first her into the corner, unable to look her in the eyes. "I-I can't help it..."

Maka grabbed her by the collar, pulling her up. "You ever hurt my friend again and your Soul will be mine, got that?"

She gasped a little and kept her mouth shut. She quickly nodded and closed her eyes, afraid she was about to get punched or something.

She unceremoniously dropped the girl to the ground before walking over to Crona's side, lifting him up. "Remember what I said," she called over her shoulder before taking Crona out of the room.

She curled in the fetal position and cried to herself now that she was alone. She was ashamed of herself... That girl was right... She needed to control herself, suppress the madness like Crona had... Or she'd only hurt him more...

Crona came to in Maka's arms, confused about what had happened. "M-Maka? What are you doing here? Where's the witch girl?"

"Locked in her cell where she should be." Maka said, anger coloring her voice. "I can't believe after all the work we've done to help you be more confident and fend off the madness and you let some little witch get to you." She muttered to herself.

"Don't talk about her like that!" Crona yelled, trying to move out of Maka's hold. The girl wasn't bad! She was just misunderstood, like him.

Maka paused and let go of him to look at him in the eye, concerned. "What are you talking about? We HUNT witches, Crona. It's our job!" She said, placing her hands on her hips. "That witch shouldn't even be kept alive!"

"Yes she should!" he yelled, not knowing where this emotion came from. "She's just misunderstood! And Lord Death wants to make a treaty! We can't do that if we keep killing witches!"

"A treaty...? No matter... You've gone mad twice because of her after all the hard work we've done to try and stop it..." She said, disappointed. "I don't think it's a good idea for you to go near her if it's so easy for her to manipulate you like that."

"She doesn't manipulate me! I lapse back into it on my own accord!" he yelled, not wanting to admit that the trigger was Maka herself.

"Your own accord? So you WANT to go mad again? You want to hurt people and be alone like you used to?" She asked, her voice raising.

"That's not what I'm saying Maka!" he yelled, grabbing the girl's shoulders as he shook her. "The church, it brought back memories of when we first met. When I hurt you and Soul. The second time, it was because she asked about something I said when we were fighting, and it reminded me of what I said to you. Does it make sense now? My madness, it's triggered by memories of you and what I did to hurt you!"

Maka paused and her eyes widened, her body freezing in his hands. "...so you're saying... It's my fault..?" She asked, eyes saddening a bit.

Crona immediately regretted his words at the hurt look in her face. "N-no. I'm just saying that I care about you so much and when I think of what I did to you, it triggers my madness. It's my guilt, not the witch," he whispered, pulling her into a hug.

She slowly returned the hug. "... Why did you agree to this...?" She asked in a whisper, trying not to cry. "... You know the risks... They could lock you back up, you could lose everything... I just worry about you..." She said as she buried her face in his shoulder.

"I know Maka," he whispered into her hair. "I, I just want to be useful. If me helping allows Lord Death to reach his goal, then I will do everything in my power to have it be true."

"I understand... Just be careful..." She said. Then she backed up but kept her hands on his shoulders. "I know I'm dating Soul now, but you can always come to me for anything okay? Nothing is too inappropriate to ask me or Soul..." She told him, using a stern voice to express her seriousness. "We're all here for you."

He gave her a soft smile, heart breaking slightly at the admittance of her being with Soul. "I know Maka. Thank you," he whispered.

She kissed him softly on the cheek and left him to go back to her apartment and let him think to himself.

He stood in a daze, trying to figure out what to do. Without even consciously telling himself to do so, he turned and headed back to the cell where the witch was. He was determined to know her name and help her.

When he returned, doctors, nurses, and staff were gathered around the place frantic. A dark aura and moaning came out if the cell. Stein stood outside lighting a cigarette.

"What's wrong?" he asked, heart dropping at the sight. He ran to Stein, frantic. He wanted to make sure she was okay.

"She's upset. She's calling the spirits of darkness, it's basically a witch's form of a tantrum." He told him, not seeming alarmed like everyone else. Crona could see twisted shadows creep out of the cell door.

"Could I see her?" he asked, thinking that maybe he could calm her down enough.

"If you think you can calm her down, be my guest." He told the boy, taking a puff from the cigarette. When Crona looked into the room he could see twisted shadows swirling about on the walls and floor and Lucia sitting in the corner in the fetal position crying, her eyes wide and her flesh oozing what looked like purple gooey liquid that soaked her clothes and puddles around her.

He walked quietly into the room, as not to frighten her. "Hey, it's me. No need to be sad. I'm here and okay."

She scrunched further into the position, putting her hands on her head. "Get away..." She told him in a scared tone, but not seeming to be afraid of him.

He got down on his knees beside her, placing an arm on her shoulder. "Shhh it's okay. I'm here to help."

"You said that but I made you suffer... I make everyone suffer... It's best you leave me alone..." She said in a frantic tone, purple ooze coating Crona's arm from her flesh.

"You didn't make me suffer. I promise. It's okay," he said, pulling her in for a hug, ignoring the purple ooze.

She gasped a bit at his sudden hug but relaxed a little after a moment. The shadows started to dissipate and the moaning stopped.

"It's all okay," he whispered into her hair. "Everything is fine and you haven't hurt anyone."

She closed her eyes slowly and returns his hug, gently and slowly but firmly.

He pulled back and looked her in the eyes, a small smile on her face. "Let's start over. My name is Crona. What is yours?"

"L-Lucy..." She said nervously blushing. She looked between him and the floor, back and forth.

"Nice to meet you Lucy," he smiled.

"N-nice to meet you too..." She said, not sure if she meant it considering what she'd done to him twice before...

"I have a feeling that we will become good friends," he smiled lightly at her.

"F-friends..." She repeated, blushing then giving a light smile.

"Yes, friends," he smiled. "Now, tell me a bit about yourself."

She frowned again. "I... I don't know anything about myself..." She told him, looking to the floor. "I lost my memory not too long ago. I don't remember anything from before I woke up in Italy..."

Crona felt bad for asking from the sad look she had on her face.

"So it's just been me and gurgle the last couple months. Just trying to survive a best we can."

"What is Gurgle exactly?" he asked, curious as to why that hat was so important to her.

"He's my familiar. An imp in the form of a hat... Every witch need a familiar." She said, blushing and looking at Gurgle. "He's all I have..."

He nodded, understanding because of his good-for-nothing-mother. "Well now you have others who care about you," he smiled, placing a hand on hers.

She blushed and looked at him. Could she really rely on him...? She moved her hand to place it on top of his and smiled a little. "I'm glad."

"Me too." They lapsed into a comfortable silence, both enjoying the other's company. It felt good that Crona was able to help someone for once.

"So uhm... How long do I have to stay here...? In the cell I mean..." She said, feeling a little more confident.

"I'm not sure. I think it has to do with how well Lord Death thinks you are doing. As long as you don't attack anyone, I think you will be out soon."

She sighed and looked to the floor. "And then what...? Where will I go...?" She asked, trying to make a plan in her head.

"I think the plan is to enroll you here at the academy to begin the truce with witches."

"Yeah but... Where will I stay...? DO I have to stay in the cell...?" She asked, worried.

"No, Lord Death would never keep you in a cell!" he exclaimed. "He will probably have you move in with someone or give you your own apartment," he mused.

"I-I see..." She said, blushing and curling into a ball again. "My tummy hurts..." She said, used to the feeling but she felt like telling him...

"I'm sorry your stomach hurts. Is there anything I can do?" he asked, concern lacing his voice.

"I could use something to eat..." She said, prepared to eat rocks or bugs as she had before to survive. "Or you know... I could just feast on some of your blood again…" She said teasingly, blushing and touching his neck lightly.

He giggled nervously. "I-I don't think that's a good idea. It didn't end too well last time."

"Maybe if you don't harden it, and I lick until it's dry..." She said, almost teasingly as she leaned in closer to his neck, moving his hair aside, inches from his flesh. "Truthfully, I just want to be close... To... Something... Warm..." She whispered, her lips touching his flesh.

He moaned quietly, shocked that she was being this bold.

She nuzzled his neck before kissing it lightly, her pupils shrinking as her teeth scraped again his tender skin.

He gasped out as he tried pushing her away lightly so she wouldn't go insane again from his blood.

She allowed him to push her back, but only a little. The confidence her madness gave her allowed her to want to be closer to the boy. She slowly undid the buttons of his collar and touched his skin, breathing heavily as she examined his flesh. She couldn't get this close to anyone before... She was fascinated.

"L-Lucy, this isn't a good idea," he stuttered out. He needed to stop this before she got any farther.

"J-just... A little more..." She begged, laying her head on his chest gently and listening to his heartbeat. "S-sorry..." She said as she laid against his chest, trying to reel back into reality but not wanting to leave his presence just yet.

"I-it's okay," he panted. He had no idea why his body was reacting like this to her. He liked Maka for crying out loud!

She nuzzled his chest a little bit, closing her eyes. "Your heart is beating faster now..." She said as she pressed closer to listen.

He blushed brighter than before, both from embarrassment and her closeness.

"And faster... And faster. Crona is something wrong?" She asked as she sat back up to look at him, confused.

He shook his head, trying to shake off the feeling himself. He didn't want to worry her and he wanted to try to figure his emotions out himself first.

"Maybe... You should get some rest... Being around me... Well I suppose it can be stressful..." She said, trying to understand.

"It has been a long day, hasn't it?" he said with a small grin, heartbeat returning to normal.

"Yeah... I suppose it has." She said curling back into a ball in the corner. "You can go home..."

"I'd rather stay here to make sure you are okay."

"Ss-stay here...?" She asked. "Like... OVERNIGHT...?" She blushed a dark red as she stared at him.

"W-well as long as you would want me to be here," he murmured, looking down at the floor.

She thought it over. She wanted him to but she was afraid. She'd never had a sleepover before and had never been close to a boy before so it was a bit overwhelming. But she decided she wanted to try. "Uhm... Yeah that's okay..." She said, blushing.

"Alright," he said, giving her a soft smile. He wanted to make sure she would be okay through the night.

"I'll uh... Put my pajamas on..." She said getting up and putting on the clothes they'd left her. She slipped off her big sweater and slipped on the new shirt as quickly as she could, which was still too big for her like the sweater was so it hung the same. She curled back into her corner with a pillow and got comfortable so to speak.

He curled into the corner opposite of her, trying to take up as little space as possible as to not intrude. "I hope you sleep well."

"You can have the bed, I don't want it..." She said, blushing as she watched him.

"N-no it's fine!" he exclaimed. "I am fine over here. I promise!"

She started to think that maybe they were more alike than she'd previously thought... She got up and squeezed in next to him in the corner and laid her head on his shoulder. "Then I'll keep you warm..."

His blush got even more pronounced. "Y-you don't have to do that," he murmured, even though he was enjoying her body heat.

"I'm cold... Is this not okay?" she asked, looking at him cocking her head.

"I-I guess it's okay," he murmured. He didn't quite understand why he was feeling the way he was, but he was too tired to figure it out.

She closed her eyes and leaned on him again, but she stayed awake all night. She was too afraid to sleep. Too afraid she'd lose control and hurt him...

The next morning Crona woke to her passed out on his lap and he smiled.

She was sleeping soundly, breathing lightly in his lap with a hand clenched over the cloth of his clothes.

He didn't want to interrupt her but he needed to get up. "Lucy?" he whispered, nudging her lightly.

She groaned and opened her eyes. "Crona... You're still here..." She said tiredly but she hadn't the energy to get up.

"Yeah, I told you I wasn't going to leave. Now, I need to get up and use the restroom," he admitted sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

Her lips dropped open a little and her eyes drooped. "Can you... Carry me?"

"Sure," he smiled, lifting her and placing her on the bed.

She curled in a shivering ball, absent of his heat. Her lavender hair fell in a mess and she was dirty from spending so much time on the floor.

He tried to be quick so she wouldn't have to wait on him. He felt an odd connection to the girl. He wasn't sure what it was, but he wanted to get to know her better.

She shivered in a ball, but had fallen quickly to sleep. It seemed his presence helped clear away the nightmares and darkness... The parts of her mind that weren't so clear before, the things she'd forgotten, were starting to come into focus, slowly, but surely.

He saw her shaking on the bed when he came back, and he immediately ran to her side. "Wake up Lucy!" he called, beginning to panic.

She curled tighter into her ball, trying to warm herself but when she felt his heat she turned over and scrunched closer to where he was.

"It will be okay," he murmured, trying to reassure both her and himself. He was worried about her.

"She's cold, freak show!" The hat yelled from the chair beside to bed. "Why don't you climb in there and give her what she really wants! And tell those idiots outside the cell if they gag me again I'll devour the whole city!"

"Shut up, Gurgle..." Lucia groaned out tiredly in a soft tone but it was the first time she'd truly stood up to him and it caught the hat by surprise.

Crona was taken aback by both the comments that the hat made and how she stood up to it. She hadn't done that before.

"Whatever..." The hat said after a long period of silence. "Hey freak, if you're curious about what she wants from you, that journal is under the mattress." The hat teased and bent, popping back up and using this movement to bounce across to the other side of the room.

Crona was interested in what the hat had to say, but at the same time, his main focus was to see if Lucy was alright.

With his warmth nearby, she was feeling a little better and curled around him, hanging halfway off the bed.

He moved her back onto the bed and sat with her, afraid to leave her side.

The hat watched them from afar, scoffing at the behavior but he was a little glad for Lucia. She was always afraid of people for as long as he could remember, hell he encouraged it! But now he felt some sort of relief from watching her with him, dependent on him. Lucia groaned a little as she opened her still tired eyes, happy to see he was still there with her but she couldn't help but blush. He was so close...

"Feeling okay?" he asked, making sure that she truly was okay. He was worried that there was something wrong with her.

"R...r-restroom..." She managed to choke out tiredly. But she didn't know where it was...

"I'll take you there," he whispered, helping her up. He led her out of the cell to the restroom.

She reached out and gripped onto his hand, rubbing her eyes with the free hand tiredly. She was like a little scared child...

"Here you go," he said, letting go of her hand so he could let her go in privacy.

She peered in, her eyes widening. "It's... Huge..." She whispered worriedly. She slowly inched her way inside and, after checking each stall for people and finding it empty, she picked a stall and slipped her panties down to her ankles. She lifted herself up onto the toilet and swung her feet like a child since she was so short.

Crona whistled lightly as he waited for her. He continued thinking about her, wondering what made her so interesting to him.

When she was done she flushed and jumped down, coming back out to meet him after washing her hands. "Is it really okay to be out of my cell like this...?"

"I wouldn't see why not. Besides, you are with me," he smiled, leading her back through the twisting halls.

"We'll then... Do I have to go back...?" She asked with a pout. "I mean... Can't we go somewhere...? Maybe somewhere... I can see the sun...?"

"I'll have to check with Lord Death first, but I don't think that that would be a problem," he said with a smile.

She blushed at his smile a bit but looked to the floor with a frown. She was sure he'd say no, she wasn't sure why she felt like that but she just knew it.

Instead of leading her back to the cell, Crona led her to the Death Room so they could both talk to Lord Death about her rooming arrangements.

She followed quietly but kept looking to the floor. She twiddled her fingers in front of her awkwardly.

They entered the Death Room and Lord Death looked at them. "Hello Crona!"

As the reaper spoke it scared poor Lucy and she ran for the nearest hiding spot and peeked around, shaking.

Lord Death gave them a quizzical look then brushed it off. "What can I do for you two today?"

She peeked around, hiding everytime he spoke a work. What was this... Thing...? Why was it talking to them?

"I was wondering if Lucy here would be cleared to explore Death City with me," Crona asked hopefully.

"Explore Death City?" He thought for a moment. "I don't see why not! Just keep a close eye on her," he warned in a more serious tone. Lucy hid again and curled into a ball.

"Thank you Lord Death! And don't worry, I will!" he exclaimed before helping Lucy up and leading her out of the DWMA and into the city to explore.

**A/N:** Hope you enjoyed lovelies! Don't worry, the romance will pick up soon! As for now, Read and Review my lovelies!


	3. Chapter 3

She was dragged behind the excited boy, a little dazed. She wasn't use to being out without Gurgle... She worried about it.

Crona was elated that Lord Death allowed him to take the young witch out of the academy. There was so much that he had to show her!

"Where are we going Crona? Ahh! There's people!" She said, hiding her face with her sleeve. Everyone looked at her strange and it unnerved her.

"We are going to explore Death City!" he smiled, leading her to a small café that he enjoyed going to.

"But there's people! Lots of people!" she said nervously, still trying to hide her face. "Uhm Crona...? We need to stop for a moment... I'm going to throw up..."

He halted in his tracks, turning around to look at the sickly girl. He didn't think exploring the city would be this hard on her.

She looked embarrassed up at him. "I-I'm sorry... Something is upsetting my stomach..." She said before her stomach lurched and she ran for the nearest hiding spot to throw up. She threw up some weird stuff... Rocks, dirt, bugs... Anything she could find to eat before she came to the school. She did anything she could to survive, including eating anything she could find.

Crona followed her and held her hair back as she got sick. He was worried about her, no one should have to suffer the way she did. For some reason, he felt compelled to take care of her and make her see how great life can be. "Feel better?" he asked as he rubbed soothing circles on her back.

"Yeah... I'm sorry..." She apologized as she looked up at him with tearful eyes. She didn't want him to see her like this. She looked down at the things coming from her stomach and sat down, thinking about the way she'd lived for the last few months. Even while she was at the academy she had trouble eating the food due to her past eating habits. She found rocks and bits of garbage to eat instead.

"It's okay," he whispered, helping her to her feet. He wanted to help her feel better. Maybe experiencing the town wasn't the best idea at the moment. He took her weight on him and led her to his apartment to care for her more.

"I'm okay, really..." She said tiredly, holding her stomach. She leaned close to him as her stomach lurched again but she held back as much as she could. "We can go, it's ok!"

"I think it would be better to just go to my place instead. That way, if you get sick again I can care for you better."

She paused and looked at him. "You want to take care of me...?" she asked, leaning against him for stability. She nearly fell and gripped onto his shirt before falling to her knees in front of him and blushing.

"Yes I want to take care of you," he smiled, picking her up and carrying her the rest of the way to his place.

She laid her arms loosely around his shoulders and leaned her head down. She closed her eyes as they walked and napped a little as he carried her, so comfortable and warm in his arms...

He grinned at the sleeping girl in his arms. There was something about her that made her special to him, and he wanted to figure out just what the special thing was.

As they approached his apartment she opened her eyes but kept holding onto him. She watched the ground pass underneath them as they approached his door.

He let himself in and carried her to the couch, placing her down gently on the cushions before going to get a cool rag for her forehead.

She curled up and waited for his return. "I'm sorry... I know you wanted to show me around... I picked a bad time to get sick..."

"You're fine. No one can choose when she gets sick," he spoke softly, looking around for a blanket to place over her.

"Is it really okay for me to be here...? Won't that creepy skull man be mad?" She asked, chewing on her thumb nervously.

"Lord Death?" he asked, confused. As she nodded her head, a small smile broke out on his face. "It will be okay. He gave me the okay to let you be here."

"I don't want you to get into trouble because of me..." She said as she reached for his hand and held it.

"I won't get in trouble, I promise," he smiled, giving her hand a soft squeeze.

She closed her eyes. "If I feel better can we go out tonight? There'll be less people anyway so I'll feel more comfortable…" She said as she looked away a little ashamed of her fear.

"Hey," he whispered, lightly grabbing her chin and turning her head towards his. "No need to feel bad. And sure, we can go explore later."

She blushed at his touch but couldn't take her eyes from his. "Crona..." She cooed, unable to control herself. Tears formed in her eyes. How could anyone treat her so gently? Like she mattered? She wasn't use to this. It was scary but... In a good way. Like butterflies let loose in her stomach. She leaned up and, without realizing it, she planted her lips on his.

His eyes widened at the feeling of her lips against his. He wasn't expecting her to kiss him. His eyes closed, hands wrapping around her to hold her close.

In the middle of the kiss her face tensed and her nose started to bleed, and she closed her eyes tightly. She wanted desperately wanted to keep going but she'd already embarrassed herself...

One hand cupped her face as the other rested on her hip. He never knew that a kiss could feel this good.

She eventually pulled back and wiped her bloody nose, blushing darkly. She looked back and forth between the floor and Crona, wondering what his reaction would be.

He gave her a breathless smile before pulling her in for a hug. His emotions were all jumbled. Was it possible to like her after only knowing her for such a short amount of time? And why did that kiss feel so good and right?

She was surprised at the hug but she relaxed into it. She let her eyes droop and smiled. "Uhm... I feel better now..." She said, trying to break the silence.

"That's good," he murmured. Should he confront her about what happened? He was so unsure.

"We should… Uhm... Maybe go for that tour..?" She asked, embarrassed of herself but not sure of what else to say.

"Maybe in a little bit," he whispered into her hair. His heart was racing. He needed to ask her, but kept chickening out.

"Okay well... While I wait..." She said quietly, her pupils shrinking as she stared at the floor. "I could..." She leaned in closer. "Do this..." She leaned even closer but passed his face and went for his neck. "Just... A little..." She said whispered as she opened her mouth to go in for a bite. Blood... She needed sustenance after throwing up what little she had in her stomach.

Crona froze in shock. What could this girl possibly want now?

"I... I can't... Stop..." She said, struggling with herself but ultimately biting into his neck, holding tightly onto him so he couldn't pull away.

He tried suppressing a moan. For some reason, this felt more enthralling than it should have to him.

Feeling him relax a little due to pleasure, she pressed closer to him and pulled him closer to herself as she bit, his ebony blood slipping in between her lips. She also moaned as she started drinking, careful to be slow and gentle as to not hurt him or take too much, but she needed this... She closed her eyes and retracted her teeth, letting only her lips lock around to wound to drink from. She let her hand slide up the back of his neck and into his hair as she held onto him.

His hands wound themselves in her hair, pulling her closer as he moaned loudly, unable to keep his sounds to himself. This felt so good in a disturbing way.

She moaned a little as she drank, climbing into his lap until she was straddling him, biting the wound again to keep the wound from closing as she drank. When she finished, she lapped at the wound and lied her head against his shoulder, heaving breaths in his ear as she relaxed, feeling much more satisfied now.

He grabbed her head and pulled it towards his in a passionate kiss. He didn't know what overcame him, but he needed to feel her lips against his again.

She blushed darkly in surprise but eventually relaxed and returned the kiss. She leaned into the kiss and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, but she felt something poking her... Confused, she broke the kiss and looked down.

"Everything okay?" he whispered into her ear, confused as to why she pulled back.

She blushed when she saw what was poking her. "D-do you... Uh... I mean... What..."

His eyes followed the path of hers and his face turned scarlet. "Uhh I'm sorry," he whispered, trying to put some distance in between them.

She pulled him back and looked in his eyes. "No, it's alright. It doesn't bother me." She said in a serious tone, though her pupils had shrunk again. "Don't be embarrassed, it's normal, right?"

"Y-yeah, it's normal," he murmured, embarrassed.

She leaned on him and laid her on his shoulder and relaxed with him. She'd never felt so safe especially with another human being. Even her own mother...

He took deep breaths, trying to calm his excitement. He didn't want to seem like some guy who offered to care for her to get into her pants. That wasn't his intention at all!

"Do you need...? I mean... I could help..." She said, embarrassed and noticing he was uncomfortable. "It's ok, really..."

"No no! It's okay, really," he said, waving his arms frantically. He didn't want her to do that for him because he would feel like he was using her.

"O-ok!" she said, scared that she'd said something to upset him and climbed off his lap to sulk in a ball on the floor.

"Hey," he said, getting off the couch to kneel by her side. "Don't feel bad. I, I just don't want you to think that I am using you."

She looked up at him. "I know you're not..." She said assuring him. She nuzzled him and climbed into his lap.

He groaned as she sat on him, trying to keep his arousal away from her.

"Maybe getting some rest would help?" She suggested, poking at it, not really understanding much about the stiff organ. "It's kinda stiff... Maybe it needs a massage?" She truly was trying to help but she didn't understand the things she was saying.

He bit his lip, trying not to moan. She had no idea what she was doing to him merely by suggesting that she massage it. He could imagine what it would feel like to have her hand wrapped around… no! He could not let his mind wander there for fear of losing control of his actions.

She looked at him as he moaned. "Did that feel good?" She asked curiously. "I could poke it again..?" She suggested, simply trying to help but she was starting to think that maybe she should leave it alone.

He nodded, not trusting his voice to not crack if he tried speaking to her.

She sighed and leaned against him again. "Hey Crona...? On the way to the city... I caught sight of the ocean... Have you ever seen the ocean?"

"Yes I have," he smiled, pulling her close. He was both relieved that she wasn't touching him down there, however, he secretly wanted her to continue.

"I've always wanted to..." She said, holding onto him. "Maybe someday... I won't be so afraid to go see it myself…"

"One day I will take you there to see it," he smiled, nuzzling her.

"When I get better..." She assumed, looking to the floor sadly. "But I won't get better…"

"Why do you say that?" he questioned, pulling her chin up to face him.

"Gurgle says I will never get better." She said, tucking her face into his chest to hide her sad look.

He pulled her close. "You will get better, I know it," he promised. He would do everything in his power to help her. "I was in a situation like yours once, so I know how it feels. But I am here to help you through this."

"I feel better now that... Well now that I've had some of your blood..." She said, tracing the mark on his neck. "And knowing I can make you... Feel good." She said blushing. It made her happy that he can help her so much and she could make him happy as well.

His cheeks began to burn from her comment as he shifted awkwardly in his seat. His little problem hadn't fully gone away and her talking about making him feel good did nothing to help it.

"It moved..." She said, pointing to his crotch as it twitched in desperation. "Should I... Poke it again?" She asked, looking up at him. "I can help, really..."

He bit his lip, torn on what to do. The innocent look she gave him killed him. He really needed to do something about this problem but he was hesitant about letting her help. With a groan, he threw his head back on the couch. "O-okay," he muttered out.

She looked at him, watching his reaction, then her eyes traveled to his neck. She leaned against him, small yet noticeable breasts pressing against his chest as she breathed hotly against his neck, then bit into the delicate flesh as she placed a hand on the bulge, petting it gently as she drank from him.

His eyes shot open as she bit into him before rolling back into his head. His hands found their way to her hips, pulling her close to him as he moaned her name softly.

She stroked gently, letting his blood flow into her mouth and down her throat. She allowed him to hold onto her hips as she pleasured him, getting satisfaction herself.

Without realizing what he was doing, he pulled her close to him, his hips grinding against hers as his moans picked up volume.

Her hand was forced out of the way and replaced with her warm mound through her panties, causing her to unlatch from his throat and moan, not sure exactly what was going on.

Crona could feel his control begin to slip, as much as he didn't like it to. But what she was doing to him made him feel so good. He only wanted to repay her.

She was quickly coming to climax, this being her first time ever being touched there. She gripped onto his sleeves and moaned, starting to feel nervous. "Crona... S-stop... Stop I..." She said quietly but it was as loud as she could make her voice but it was too late, her panties became soaked and she let out a loud moan, unable to control herself as her body twitched in pleasure.

He pulled her in for a rough kiss, the weight of his body shifting so he loomed over her, her back on the cushions as she continued shivering.

She looked up at him, shaking a little from fear and from having climaxed. She was scared, she didn't know what was going on, she didn't know if it would hurt, but it was Crona... If this is what he wanted, she couldn't fight him. She clenched her eyes shut and looked down, letting out little whimpers as her hands travelled to her wet panties and blushed.

"I won't do anything you don't want to," he murmured before leaning in to capture her lips.

Part of her believed in him, she dug her fingers into the carpet below and her eyes widened. What did he have planned?

"You have to tell me you want this, otherwise I won't do anything," he whispered, kissing all over her face.

She look up at him, keeping her lips sealed, not sure she wanted to say anything either way. She looked down to the floor and shivered, closing her legs and tucking them to her chest.

He pulled back, looking at her. He didn't want to go farther without her permission, he would hate himself for ever if he did.

She tucked her chin in between her knees. She hated how scared she was... She didn't think she'd ever be able to discover new things. "Am I... Strange...?"

He gently lifted her chin up to look at him. "Not at all Lucy, not at all," he reassured.

She looked at him then looked to the floor, blushing. "I'm sorry... I got scared…"

"You're fine," he smiled. "I don't want to push you into anything you don't want to do."

"I'm just... I've spent so long alone in the dark I feel naked without gurgle here..."

"Do you want to go back to the school to get him?"

"He always finds his way to me. Maybe we could go for that walk though? I feel like I need to get out..."

"Sounds good to me," he said, standing up and helping her to her feet. He still felt bad about pressuring her like he did, but he was glad he was able to restrain himself.

She took his hand and stood up but kept looking to the floor, ashamed of her fear.

"Hey, I promise it's all okay," he whispered, turning her face his way.

"I'm just tired of being so scared..." She said, not looking him in the eye.

"I know. But I do know it's gonna get better."

She looked at him again. "Help me... I mean, I know you can. When I wanted your blood, I wasn't scared... I felt dominant, I felt like... Like I could do anything I wanted without fear. Maybe... That could help..."

He gave her a hesitant look. "Well, if it helps, then you are free to feed from me when needed," he smiled.

She blushed. "And touched his neck gently. "It's more of... Wanting to feed, wanting your blood, your body..." She said as her pupils shrank again. "That want makes me... Confident..." She said as she leaned in and kissed his neck right on his trachea.

He shivered lightly, not moving. She needed this.

Instead of breaking skin, this time she just bit, taking away his air supply but only for a moment. Feeling dominant, she pushed him to the floor and bit over and over, feeling him become aroused again. Could she do it this time...?

He moaned and held her close, hands gripping her hips tightly.

"I-I..." She couldn't even speak she was so excited. She kept biting, her breasts rubbing against his chest over and over with each bite, taking his air supply. She pinned his arms above his head and thrusted against him, her breath becoming harsh and rapid.

His hips bucked up of his own accord, her name falling off his lips.

She started to lift up his shirt, feeling the skin beneath as she held him down and she bit his chest and stomach, making her way down.

His muscles twitched as she continued her path.

She undid his pants to see what it was that make him poke her and as she did she kissed his abdomen. She had no idea what she was doing but she wanted to touch and kiss every inch on him.

He panted, trying to regain his breath. She was setting him on fire with her kisses and touches.

She peeked in his boxers before sliding them down. Shen she saw it, she blushed and couldn't stop staring.

He looked down at her, breathing heavily as she poked lightly at him.

She sat up and crawled to his face, planting a kiss on his lips. "I hate teasing you then backing out but... I feel so nervous..."

"I-It's okay," he choked out, gripping her hips tighter.

She started to shake again and let her head drop in shame. "I can't... I can't go farther..." She said, scared and starting to tear up. "I..."

"Hey," he whispered, breaking out of his trance. "It's okay." His arms wrapped around her, pulling her close.

She shook her head. "No it's not... I need to push past the fear but... Well I've never done this before... I..."

"I've never done anything like this before either. It is okay."

She laid into his chest and cried, holding into him. "I can't keep teasing you, I can't leave you like this! It's my fault..."

He wiped away her tears, holding her as he tried to calm her down. "I swear it's okay. No need to cry Lucy. None at all."

She sat and cried for a while longer before eventually falling asleep in his arms, still shaking and her face stained with tears.

He kissed her forehead and held her close. He hoped that she would sleep well and not feel as bad about what happened when she woke up. He felt terrible about what happened. He knew he shouldn't have persisted.


	4. Chapter 4

She slept soundly in his arms after her body relaxed, one hand on his chest, and her head laid on his shoulder, her legs pulled up on his lap.

He fell asleep holding her, breathing evening out as his thoughts cleared from what had happened.

She awoke late that night to a noise and her eyes shot open to see a black cat with one bright red eye. "Gurgle..." She whispered, happy to see the hat even though he'd changed his form to move better.

Crona heard the noise and stirred, blinking back sleep to see the cat staring at him.

"I'm sorry gurgle, I tried to be bold... I'm just too scared..." She told the cat. The cat sat next to her.

"We live in fear, Lucia, that's how we survive. Fear is the best option." It told her in a semi normal tone compared to how it was when it was a hat.

"If you're afraid, you can talk to me," Crona whispered, pulling her in for a hug.

"You're awake..." She said, surprised. She blushed darkly.

"So the little harlot finally tried to free herself of her burden, hm?" The cat said and cackled.

"What do you mean?" he asked confused.

The cat snickered. "You really haven't read her journal have you?" It teased before running to the window and picking up something in i's mouth. When it came back, Lucia's eyes widened. He had brought the journal. Instead of protesting, she simply looked away, ashamed of herself as the cat laid it in front if the boy. "Feel free." It told him, backing away toward Lucia, climbing over her exposed thigh and sitting in between her legs, letting its tail wrap around her thigh as it seemed to smile at him.

He hesitated. He didn't want to invade her privacy yet he was curious. He gave her a questioning look, asking if this was okay.

She didn't answer him, just have a worried look and pet the cats head. She was worried what he would think of her once he read it.

He flipped through the pages, face turning red from what he was reading.

Some if it was adorable, pictures of the sun, pictures of the ocean, things she wanted to experience but was too afraid. Then there were some dark ones, her surrounded by the bodies of her victims, herself in the dark. But then he came across recent pages including him and some of the not-so-innocent dreams she'd been having since she met him.

He put the journal down and looked at the carpet, face crimson as he tried processing what he just read.

She refused to look at him in her shame. The cat snickered beneath Lucia's fingers as she pet him. She was so embarrassed and scared of what he would think.

"Well, that was interesting," he choked out, blushing madly.

She curled her legs to her chest, feeling like she was going to cry as the cat jumped out if her lap and walked toward the boy. "Real interesting huh kid?" He teased and chuckled. "Now you know. Lucia isn't the innocent little girl everyone thinks she is. She is a witch after all. I bet she's older than you think too." It said, looking between the two. Lucia laid her head in between her knees.

"I bet I'm older than you..." She said in a quiet voice, knowing the cat was telling the truth.

"Hey, no crying. It's okay," he said, pulling her into a hug. "How old are you anyways?"

"You first..." She said nervously as she pet the cat sitting beside her.

"Sixteen. You?"

"I'm... Well I'm 18..." She said, fiddling nervously with her fingers and tightening her grip around her knees against her chest.

"That's not too much older than me," he smiled.

"No, but I was right, I'm older than you." She said, looking away. The cat snickered. "Pedophile..." He teased the girl, which only made her feel worse.

He held her, glaring at the cat lightly. He didn't like that how she felt so bad from what the cat was saying. "You aren't a pedophile, it's okay."

"Hey he's right, you actually have to FUCK him before you can be a pedo!" He yelled and laughed at his own joke. Lucia got up and ran out the door, so quickly no one had time to react. She was gone into the night so quickly.

"What is your problem?" he yelled at the cat before chasing after her.

She ran as fast as she could with tears in her eyes down the road, not knowing where she was headed but she managed to come across the beach, close to the water. She found a shack full of fishing stuff and hid in there, curled up in the fetal position where she could cry.

Crona searched all of Death City for her, wanting to find her before she could cause herself any harm. "Lucy? Where are you?" he called.

She was so angry with herself. She was angry and upset and sad... A mix of emotions she knew and some she didn't understand. She reached out and punched the metal shacks wall, but hurt herself in the process. "Ow..." She said as she pulled it back and rubbed it with her other hand. Now she was mad again...

He heard her scream ow and he ran into the shack, finding her curled up in a ball. "Lucy…" he said in a warning tone, not wanting to frighten her.

She looked up at him and instantly tears rolled down her face. Tears of shame, fear, anger, and sadness. Tears of emotions she didn't understand and of feelings she was all too familiar with.

"Shhh it's okay. Ignore Gurgle," he whispered, pulling her into a hug.

"No it's not!" She yelled, pushing him aside like she didn't want to wipe her shame off on him.

"Yes it is because I like you!" he yelled, grabbing her again.

"How can you like me? What is there to like? I'm plain, I'm crazy, and I'm always sad and too scared to do anything..." She said holding herself. "There's nothing to like about me..."

"You are very pretty and I don't care that you are all those things! I'm very attracted to you!" he whispered, stuttering out every word as he held her closer.

She held onto him, crying into his shoulders. "I don't want to be scared anymore! I don't even want to be me!" She cried.

"Shhh it's okay. You will get over your fears and I will help you."

"How...?" She asked, crying harder. She really believed she couldn't change.

"I used to be as afraid as you were. I feared everything and thought I would never get any better. But here I am now, and everything is fine," he whispered.

She relaxed a little, stomach clenching each time she gasped for air through her tears. "I'm going to throw up again..." She said, trying to make her body relax to prevent it.

"It's okay if you do," he murmured, rubbing soothing circles on her back.

She turned and let it out, a mixture of rocks and his black blood pouring from her throat. She coughed and gagged before sitting up, black blood dripping down her chin.

"You okay now?" he whispered, wiping the blood from her face.

She held her stomach. "I also wish that would stop..." She said, leaning against him so she wouldn't pass out.

He kept rubbing soothing circles on her back as he lifted her up, carrying her back to his place so he could take care of her.

When they returned the cat was gone. Lucia sulked, not speaking as he carried her. Despite what he told her, she still felt... Pathetic.

He took her to his bedroom and lied her down gently. "I'll be right back," he whispered, covering her with the blankets before going to get a wash cloth for her.

She curled up in the blankets, covering up to her eyes. She waited for him to come back, not sure if he even would. She couldn't blame him if he didn't...

He tiptoed back into the room, wash cloth wet to clean her face. "Lucy?" he asked, trying to see if she was still awake.

Her eyes turned to him but she refused to speak.

He started cleaning her face. "I do mean it you know. It is okay."

She refused to answer. After he cleaned her face she hid in the blanket again, hiding her face.

"Hey, don't hide from me," he whispered, pulling the blanket off her head to look at her.

She looked at him as he uncovered her face. She had a permanent frown and refused to speak.

He sighed. "Listen. It's natural to be afraid of things. But you will get better. It just takes time. Like I said, I used to be as afraid as you are."

She sniffled and uncovered her face. "... Did you throw up a lot...? Did you cry? Did you eat people...? Body, blood, and soul?" She asked him.

"There were many nights I cried myself to sleep. And I was almost a Kishin, if that answers your question," he whispered, rubbing her arm.

"Kishin..." She repeated, thinking about it but in her mind she pictured a forceful, dominant version of Crona, almost scary and dark but... In an intriguing way and it made her blush darky and she hid her face in the blankets. "Maybe I shouldn't be near you!" She said from under the blankets. She felt she'd be a bad influence.

"You're fine, I promise," he whispered, pulling the blankets off of her. "That was the past, that's not who I am now."

She relaxed a little, slightly disappointed the fantasy in her head wouldn't come true but feeling better at the same time that he wasn't a kishin. She knew little about kishin, but what she did know wasn't good.

"Is it okay if I lie with you?" he asked. He felt like he needed to be there to comfort her.

"I- uh... I guess" she said nervously, scooting to make room for him. "So uhm... Can you... Tell me a little about you...?" She asked, trying to change the subject.

"Sure," he whispered, pulling her close. "My mother was the witch Medusa. She did experiments on me when I was a young child. She infused me with the demon sword Ragnarok, which is why I have black blood. Her goal was to use me to collect the souls of the living in order to transform Ragnarok and me into a kishin."

"He seems to take a big part in your life..." She said, thinking about it. "Tell me a little about Ragnarok... Like what can he do?"

"He can harden my blood, keeping me from sustaining major injuries. He also has the ability to make me fly. He is an extension of me and my soul."

"How wonderful it must be to fly... To have such freedom as an extension of your soul..." She whispered, looking down. "Is it like... Wings..?"

"Somewhat," he smiled. "He creates wings from the blood. Sometime I will take you flying."

"I would love to go flying" she said, smiling slightly at him. "Black wings... Wings of blood... Sounds like death. Like the grim reaper... Something dark but necessary... I've always had a thing for the thought of a reaper..." She said, blushing.

He laughed for a moment then his thoughts soured. If she had a thing for reapers, then she should probably get with Kid, not him. Wait, where did that come from? She wasn't with him at all, yet why did he suddenly get so protective of her?

She curled up with her head and hands to his chest and closed his eyes. "You smell so sweet..." She said as she breathed him in, then her look soured and she frowned. "... I'm not used to sweet. I'm used to foul smelling souls... Tainted with the blood and bodies of innocent and foul alike..."

"Well, isn't sweet a good change though?" he asked, glad to have his mind occupied from his wandering thoughts.

"Sweet is very good. Refreshing. Means I can trust your soul..." She said, tracing a heart shape over where his heart would be with her finger. "And your heart."

He blushed and looked down at her. "W-well that's good," he stuttered out. The feeling of her fingers tracing his skin drove him wild, but there was nothing he could do about it right now.

She laid her palm against the heart she traced and looked up at him. "Uh-uhm... Could I... Have some more of your blood...?" She asked in a nervous whisper, sounding like a child asking an upset parent for a cookie.

"S-sure," he whispered. He hoped he could keep his hands to himself while she did this. He didn't want to push her too far again.

"It's like candy too, you know. Your blood. It's warm and comforting..." She said as she pulled herself to his neck, touching her nose to his skin. "Smells so sweet..." She whispered as she brought her lips to his flesh. She started to shake with anticipation, her lips and tongue dancing against his flesh before biting into it. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close, closing her eyes as the ebony candy slid down her throat, warming her otherwise freezing body.

A loud moan escaped his lips as his hands moved of their own accord, pulling her flush with him. He needed to feel her closer but didn't want to press his luck.

Her eyes opened a bit as he moaned, then closed again, continuing to drink. She copied his moans lightly, letting her hands travel up his back.

Slight shivers ran up his spine from her fingers tracing it. "Lucy," he groaned, pulling her closer.

When she was done, she let go and wiped her mouth with her bare hand. Her eyes pinpoint, she let her bloodied hand wander to his bare chest, wiping the blood on his skin. The sight triggered many memories and feelings, several she didn't understand but it made her gasp and stare at her own little blood painting. "Th-this... Feeling... I..." She couldn't finish her thought before pushing him on his back and licking the blood from his chest and abdomen, breathing heavily, squeals and moans escaping her throat. She was losing herself...

His eyes rolled back in his head as her tongue traced patterns on his chest. He was too caught up in the euphoria of the feeding to see that she was losing herself slowly.

Her fingers gripped the sheets tightly as she licked the blood from his chest, his moans filling her up with feelings she couldn't understand. She wanted so many things that contradicted themselves, she couldn't understand any of it. Her breathing was becoming so quick she was going to hyperventilate if she didn't stop soon. She paused and gritted her teeth, letting out an animalistic growl as she tried to stop herself.

His fingers gripped her hips tighter, pulling her closer. He would be damned if he let her stop now when he was so worked up.

He was... Enjoying this... She realized. He actually wanted her to torture him like this... He got some kind of kick out of it. She could tell by the way his organ stood and twitched beneath her. He wanted more... More of her... She couldn't understand this concept but... She couldn't deny him either. She couldn't. She stared at it for a moment before continuing to lick his abdomen, sliding his boxers down over his hips. She wasn't sure what to do, but she had a basic idea considering the way her body reacted to his. She had to do it this time... She refused to leave him like this again... She placed a shaking hand against his exposed organ, watching his face for a reaction carefully. She was so nervous she couldn't stop shaking, but she needed this too... This pent up feeling she felt like this would release for her.

His head shot up at the feeling of her hand on his member, his eyes seeking hers out. He wanted to let her know that she didn't have to do this if she didn't feel comfortable. Just as he opened his mouth to tell her to stop, her hand started moving, effectively cutting off all words as he moaned loudly.

He was moaning... That was good right? It meant he felt good right? She tried to keep her thoughts at bay as to not make her stop while she was ahead. She kept stroking the organ slowly, gently, but firmly enough so he could get pleasure from her tiny hand. Her own area started to warm and tingle, making her breath catch in her throat. She wasn't sure how much longer she could keep this up, but she had to try. She couldn't help herself, she let her hand drift down her own stomach and placed it on her mound to try and quiet the tingling, making her moan out loud and tighten her stomach. Why did that feel so good...? She couldn't understand.

He saw her hand go to her heat and he couldn't have that. He needed to give back to her. He brushed her hand away, his fingers teasing her as she continued stroking him.

She squealed out a surprised moan and started thrusting against his fingers, trying to focus on continuing to pleasure him but it was difficult. This was a feeling she was not use to. Her confidence was fading, but she didn't want him to stop. Her face flushed red as she moaned, leaning so her breasts touched his flesh unintentionally.

He groaned. This needed to stop so he wouldn't take it any farther, but that was easier said than done. What she was doing felt so good—he didn't want it to stop.

She couldn't help it, she had to stop pleasuring him... She climbed up and straddled him, letting his fingers continue to stroke her delicate mound as she moaned loudly. She held onto him tightly. "D-don't stop... It hurts when you stop, please... Keep going..." She begged him in a desperate voice, thrusting against his fingers and letting her head drop back in pleasure. The intensity of her need almost mimicked pain if he paused, she needed him badly. How could she put a stop to something she wanted so much more of...? She let her head rest on his shoulder, moaning and breathing loudly in his ear and holding so tightly like she'd drift away if she let go.

"L-Lucy," he groaned in her ear as his fingers continued toying with her. "I-if I don't stop now, I won't be able to keep myself from doing more. I-I want you to actually want this. I don't want to force you into anything you aren't ready for."

"B-but you can't stop! It'll hurt if you stop!" She cried out, moaning louder and more desperately. "I-I need this!" She yelled, gripping onto him tightly, her rose hair falling in a mess over her face. She couldn't stop herself, she needed more... She reached down, hesitantly and moved her panties so he was actually touching her flesh. This made her cry out in pleasure and thrust harder against his hand, clinging to him desperately.

Without thinking, his fingers slipped deep into her heat, both of them moaning out in pleasure. There was no way he could hold back now. He pulled her in for a kiss as he rolled them over, him on top of her as his fingers continued teasing her.

She was nervous but didn't want it to stop. "Pl-please..." She begged as she moaned louder and louder. She wanted him, she needed him, as she refused to allow herself to stop him now.

His other hand roamed her body, caressing her chest as he carefully lifted the garments from her body. He wanted to pleasure her, and he felt that he was doing a good job based on the moans she was making. He was just afraid of that damn hat-cat coming in and ruining what was going on.

She pulled away a little, using her arms to cover her now almost completely exposed body, turning a dark red but she couldn't stop moaning or riding against his hand.

He began kissing down her body, stopping to admire her breasts. He took one in his mouth, suckling lightly.

She let out a squeal and held her arms up defensively. She hated being exposed, this was embarrassing, but she had to admit it felt really good. She hid the other breast with one hand and set the other on his head as she looked away, ashamed if her own body-even though she was in decent shape for being so small and not eating much.

"No need to be embarrassed," he murmured against her breast. "You are beautiful," he whispered. His mouth continued kissing and suckling at her exposed flesh, his hand still toying with her. He ignored the ache in him, he couldn't stop pleasuring her or do anything about his issue for he feared that she would hate him after.

She buried her face in his hair, wrapping the one arm around to him his head as she moaned, still hiding her other breast with her hand. She felt more and more exposed and embarrassed. She started to let her thighs drift together, still riding his fingers. "I-I feel... It... It's... It's coming... Something..." She had troubles putting her thoughts together but she knew she was close to climax, just not understanding the concept.

He nodded against her, kissing over to her other breast and nudging her hand out of the way. He was very inexperienced at this, but he was going off of instinct. His kisses became rougher as well as his fingers pumping into her increased in speed and force. He wanted her to enjoy this, he needed her to come undone for him.

She let out a loud moan threw back her head, letting her arms wrapped around his shoulders and riding against his hand. It was so intense, this feeling... It was growing stronger and stronger, driving her crazy. Her whole body started shaking as she hunched over him, the feeling at max intensity, and threw herself back as she climaxed, letting out a loud yelling moan of utter ecstasy she'd never experienced before. Her nectar seeped from her mound, coating his fingers as she came, hiding onto his shoulders and letting her body relax in his arms.

He released her breast from his mouth as he kissed back up to her mouth, pulling his fingers out of her reluctantly. "So beautiful," he whispered in her ear between kisses.

She blushed darkly. "S-stop saying that..." She said breathlessly as she relaxed down into a sitting position. "I-I'm not... Beautiful" she let her body slunk down to the floor, laying down and bringing her knees to her chest, embarrassed of herself and blushing brighter as she noticed how hard his organ had gotten. "Does it... Hurt..?"

"I will not stop speaking the truth," he murmured, sitting next to her. "Not hurt. More like slightly uncomfortable. But it's nothing that I can't manage," he reassured her with a smile.

"I... I can't let you deal with it... I mean, when you paused with me, it kind of hurt... I can't imagine what it must feel like..."

He just pulled her close. "Really Lucy, it's okay. You don't have to do a thing. It will eventually go away."

She felt ashamed of herself being too scared to help him. "No I... I can't I mean..." She tried to word it out but she couldn't seem to. She refused to look him in the eye due to her own shame.

"Lucy look at me," he whispered, lifting her chin to face him. "You are fine. You don't have to do anything you aren't ready for, and it will go away on its own. No need to be ashamed."

She gripped her head and groaned. "I can't! I can't just... Ignore it, it isn't fair..." She said, her breathing starting to get heavy. Her pupils started to shrink again as she backed away but only a little, she couldn't leave him alone like this but she felt she didn't deserve to be treated so sweetly.

He pulled her close to him again and kissed her forehead. "I swear that it's okay."

"If you... If you won't let me help, I... I might have to make you." She said, looking up at him with a serious look. "And I will." She was obviously nervous but she was very firm in her decision which was new for her.

He gulped and chuckled lightly. "You really don't have to."

"Crona..." She cooed, concerned. She thought for a moment. She thought back to what they had done. He got excited when he touched and saw her private parts... She blushed but she got up and went to the bathroom, hoping he'd follow her.

He watched her leave and he was concerned. He hoped that he didn't make her upset. He trailed after her, hesitating as she entered the bathroom. "Lucy?"

When he entered, she had pulled off her clothes and was leaning over the bathtub with her back end pointed out toward him. "I'll make you..."

A bright blush crossed his face. "Wha-what are you doing?"

She spread her legs a little, revealing her still wet mound. "Trying to help you..." She said nervously, looking to the floor.

He felt his face get hotter and a small amount of blood drip from his nose.

She looked back at him with a blank stare, waiting, hoping he'd make a decision soon before she got too nervous. She wiggled her butt a little at him. "You know I'd let you."

He walked forward and cupped her cheek. "I know you would, but I want you to be completely ready for this. I don't want you making this decision just because you want to help relieve me of my issue."

She backed up and brushed her butt against his organ, still keeping eye contact. "You sure? Cuz I'm already here, vulnerable, ready..." She said, still no real emotion on her face.

He kissed her tenderly. "I can tell you aren't ready yet. I don't want to do this until you really want to. I don't want to take advantage of you."

She turned and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pressing close to him and locking lips with him in a passionate, meaningful kiss, closing her eyes and moaning a little.

He was taken aback but returned the kiss with equal passion, holding her close.

She don't let go of him for quite some time, kissing him, changing the position of her lips on his until she was satisfied. She looked at him from mere inches away, looking directly into his eyes.

He was breathless as she pulled away. "Wha-what was that for?" he asked, panting.

"Had to give you something. Besides, I have to find a way to show you how I feel..." She said, blushing and looking away. "Was it not okay...? Was that a bad thing?" She became nervous quickly. "Was it wrong? Do I need to be punished? I can go sleep in the closet!" she said, her words so fast he could barely understand.

As soon as her words registered in his head, he pulled her close and held her. "You are fine. I just wasn't expecting it. I did enjoy it though. I-I would like to do that again," he admitted with a blush.

She let out a small giggle before looking at him with a bit of passion. "Then why don't you? Not everything should have to be my choice, right?" She asked with a smile.

"I think I just might," he smiled as he leaned in to kiss her passionately, lifting her up and carrying her to his room.

She held onto him, moaning into the kiss as he carried her, trying to keep her nerves down, but she was doing a good job this time around. She felt like maybe she could handle the world as long as he was with her.

He pulled away from the kiss and looked her in the eye. "You are so beautiful. I want to show you every day for the rest of my life that you are. Be mine?" he asked nervously.

Her face flushed dark red. No one had ever asked her something like that before... And his words were so sweet. Her lips opened but all that came out was stutters, trying to comprehend what she was asked. "I-I- wha- well..." Finally she paused and took a deep breath, then smiled. "Y-yes... Yes I will..." She said with a smile.

He just smiled and held her close, kissing all over her face. He was elated that she agreed to be his. He yawned and pulled her close. "I'm so happy," he grinned, kissing her sweetly. "I think we should try to get some sleep soon."

She nodded and curled up on the bed close to him, not wanting to be too far for fear of him leaving her alone without her knowing. She closed her eyes and laid her head on his shoulder. "Sounds good..."

"Goodnight Lucy," he whispered, pulling her close and kissing her forehead before falling asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning Crona was woken by a knock on the door. Lucia didn't budged, just laid across him stark ass naked without the blanket on.

Crona groaned, he didn't want to move. The knocking persisted and he sighed. "Lucy?" he whispered, nudging her. "You need to wake up. I need to answer the door."

She groaned and rolled over but refused to wake. She hugged the pillow like a teddy bear and sighed, her legs tangled in his comforter.

He chuckled at her antics and went to the door, yawning. "Hello?" he asked opening the door.

Maka was there in her bathing suit with a tube I her arms. "Hey Crona! We were gonna hit the beach, did you want to come with us..?" She asked but trailed off when she caught sight of the yawning Lucia just sitting up in bed and rubbing her eye tiredly. She'd brought the blanket over herself so Maka couldn't really tell she was naked, but it still make Maka wonder. "...what is she doing here? I thought they were keeping her in a cell?"

Crona blushed and moved so he would block the sight to his bedroom. He didn't want the blanket falling down and causing any more trouble. "Lord Death said that she didn't have to stay in there all the time, so we went out together and she stayed the night with me."

"Right... Well uh... I guess she can come with if she can behave herself. We can go get her a suit if you want. Bet you'd like to see her model them for you!" She teased as she bumped Crona in the hip with hers and giggled. "Come on get ready! Let's go!"

He blushed at the thought of her in swimsuits, but shook it off. "Alright. We'll meet you in a few minutes," he said, heading back to his room to get himself and Lucy ready.

She dropped her blanket and stretched her arms out toward him like a child wanting a hug, letting out a moan instead of talking. She was too tired for words.

He smiled and walked to her, holding her and kissing her forehead. "Good morning sweetie. Time to wake up. We're going to the beach," he whispered, pulling her out of bed.

"Beach...?" She asked tiredly, still rubbing her eye as he led her out of bed. "Won't Mr. Sun be there..? And people..?" She got close to him and yawned.

"Yes there will be people there, but you will be with me. Now we need to hurry, Maka and the others are taking you out to get a swimsuit when we're done."

"Swim suit...?" She repeated, trying to picture herself in one. "That shows so much skin! I don't know if I could..." She said nervously, but followed him anyway, pulling on her clothes and combing back her hair with her fingers.

He pulled her in for a sweet kiss. "You will be fine. I know you will look beautiful."

She blushed deeply but allowed the kiss. "I... I can try... I guess..." She said, trying to keep her nerves down. "Maka doesn't like me though, I feel awkward shopping with her…"

"She'll warm up to you," he smiled. "This will mean a lot to me that you guys do some bonding," he whispered, continuing to kiss all over her face.

Mean a lot to him...? Well if it was so important to him, she had to try. "Alright, I'll try..." She said reluctantly, kissing him back on the lips before they headed out the door. "So where are we shopping..? I've never really been to a store before."

"I think we're going to the mall." He grabbed her hand as they met with the rest of the group. Maka stared at their intertwined hands. "We're ready to go!"

She was nervous and looked to the floor, blushing. She shuffled her feet and had trouble keeping up with the excited Crona.

"You okay?" he asked, looking at her. He knew she would be nervous to meet his friends, but he wanted to make sure not to overwhelm her.

"There's so many people... And it's so bright..." She said in a whisper, nervous and scared, shaking a little.

"Hey, I'm here. Don't worry," he whispered, pulling her closer to him.

They looked into each other's eyes for a moment before she leaned in a kissed him, trying her best to relax.

"...wow." They heard. Maka was watching them, intrigued and a little creeped out.

Crona blushed and held her close. "What Maka?" he asked.

"Nothing, nothing! Come here you!" Maka said, grabbing Lucia's hand and dragging her into a dressing room. She threw a bunch of stuff in there and told her to try them on.

"I-I don't think I can come out like this!" She yelled out once she had the suit on.

"Of course you can!" Maka yelled, stepping into the room to drag the poor girl out for Crona to see.

Lucia yelled nervously as she stumbled out in a string bikini, black with lots of ties holding it together. She used her arms to hide herself as much as she could, her whole body turning red from her embarrassment.

Crona walked over to her and held her in his arms. "Beautiful," he whispered in her ear, trying to fight off his arousal. This was not what he needed right now. He needed to comfort her and keep her from panicking, not get turned on.

She was still shaking. "R-really...?" She asked, leaning into him as she tried to calm.

"Here…" Maka said as she handed Lucy a sweater to cover herself until they got to the beach. She paid for everything and led them to the beach, setting up an umbrella with a towel underneath where Lucia decided to sit in the fetal position, trying to keep her toes away from the sunlight as she watched everybody else have fun.

"You and Crona are together?" Maka asked awkwardly.

"T-together...?" She repeated, blushing really hard. "He did ask me to be his... So y-yah..." She told her, nervous as hell. "You should go have fun, I like watching..."

"Just remember what I said if you hurt him," she whispered, walking away to join Soul in the water, splashing him playfully.

She frowned and curled up tighter, laying her chin in her knees. A guy came over and flexed a bit. "Hey, you're kinda cute. Why don't we go get a shake?" He asked.

"N-no thank you... Please leave." She said, too afraid to even look at him.

"Aww come on baby, let's have some fun!" He grabbed her arm and tried to pull her along. She screamed and tried to pull back but she was so tiny she couldn't.

Next thing she knew, she was in Crona's arms, the guy unconscious on the ground. "Are you okay?" he whispered, shaking his hand to relieve the sting of his punch as he held her close.

She shook as the initial shock wore off. Once she caught her bearing a she realized what had happened and looked at Crona. "D-did you do that...?"

"Yeah," he shrugged. "I can't have anyone hurting you, now can I?" he asked, smiling at her and kissing her forehead.

She thought for a moment, the whole thing playing back in her head over and over until she became flustered, having watched Crona show such power and display protection over her, it was almost too much. She started to shake again and bit her lip.

"Hey, are you okay?" he questioned, holding her closer. He knew she probably was in shock from what happened, so he worried about her.

She opened he mouth but all that came out was shaky moans. Then she suddenly took him by the hand and started running to the nearest place she could find, which happened to be the shack he'd found her in before. She shut and barricaded the door and pushed him to the floor. Back to the wall, her breathing was heavy and quick, she was still shaking, and her eyes couldn't leave him.

"Lucy? What's going on?" he trailed, somewhat frightened at her random behavior. Why were they in the shack? Why was she panting like that? What was that look in her eyes?

She groaned in desperation as she made her decision and ran over to him, straddling him on the floor and started kissing him. She trailed her kisses down to his neck, hands on his chest.

He groaned in surprise, hands automatically lifting to rest on her hips as he pulled her close to him. He had no clue what was going on, but her lips felt so good on his skin.

She licked her spot on his neck, the spot she was used to biting him, and started nipping at it as if asking if it was okay as she began thrusting her hips against him.

His moans became more vocal as she writhed against him. He felt himself begin to get excited, yet he couldn't bring himself to care.

She pressed her finger to his lips to try and quiet him so his friends wouldn't hear as she bit into his neck, pulling the string on her bikini top so her breasts were exposed and pressed against him. She'd definitely decided, she had to have him...

"L-Lucy? What are you doing?" he managed to choke out. He was getting turned on from her.

She drank a bit from him while thrusting against him. "N-need it..." She whispered before continuing to drink his blood.

His eyes rolled back in his head as one hand found its way to her breast, squeezing gently. He wanted this badly, and it seemed to him that she did as well.

She moaned against him flesh, a light rose color tinting her cheeks as she got her fill and unlatched. She licked the blood from her lips before pressing them against his passionately. She used one of her hands to pull his hardening member into an upright position so she could thrust against it with her clit, making her moan a bit louder as it pleasured her as well.

He shook with pleasure, pulling her closer to him as his tongue played with hers. His hands trailed down to her ass, pulling her flush against his aching member.

She moaned again and kissed him a bit harder, her wetness becoming noticeable even through her bathing suit bottom. She reached inside the now unbuttoned hole in his shorts and pulled his member out and moved her panties to the side of her mound so they were both exposed, all while kissing him. She kept thrusting against him without penetrating just yet.

"You sure?" he groaned out as she slid against him. If she was okay with this, he wasn't going to hesitate any longer.

She nodded, lifting up and prodding herself with his member. "I need this..." She told him as she laid her head on his shoulder as she slowly started to slide down.

He groaned as she covered him, hissing from her tight heat as his hands gripped her hips tightly. She felt so good and he wanted to move, but he needed to go at her pace.

After a moment, only getting the tip in, she paused. "I-it hurts..." She said, but tried to pursue. "It hurts it hurts..." She took a deep breath and slammed herself down, breaking her hymen and starting to bleed as she cried out in pain, holding onto him as she shook.

"I-I'm sorry," he whispered, kissing all over her face. He didn't want to hurt her. He kissed away her tears, holding her close.

"I-it's starting to feel b-better..." She said as her insides formed to the foreign organ and began making her wet. It felt good now that the initial pain was dying. She pressed her lips to his as she started very slowly to lift herself up and down on it, hurting at first, but eventually making her quiver with pleasure. Her moans filled his ears as she pressed her exposed breasts against his bare chest, adding to the pleasure.

He groaned. It felt so good being inside her. He gripped her hips and flipped them over, him pinning her to the floor as he thrusted into her, kissing her neck.

She let out louder moans as she laid beneath him, her chest rising as her back arched. "C-Crona... It feels so good...!" She called out as she wrapped her arms around him.

"Y-yes it does!" he yelled out, continuing to thrust into her as he bit down on her neck. He felt his hands tightening on her hips and he hoped he wasn't bruising her.

"Oh god... I can't get enough...! It-it's coming again!" She cried out, referring to her climax. Her muscles tightened around him, it all felt so good.

"Oh Lucy!" he cried. She was driving him crazy with her moans of pleasure and writhing against him made him closer to his release.

"D-don't stop until you cum too!" she told him, nearing her climax quickly, her body twitching and writhing.

"O-okay!" he screamed, his thrusts began becoming sporadic as he neared his finish, his hands groping her chest as his mouth worried her neck.

She held onto him tightly as she climaxed, calling out in pleasure. She became slicker and her inside twitched wildly, tightening around him as he thrusted.

He shuddered and thrusted in deeply, coming deep inside her as he called her name out, gripping her tightly.

"A-ahh... It's... It's filling me! It feels so good!" She yelled, back arching as he came inside of her.

"Y-you feel so good!" His hips stilled as he panted, slumping against her tiredly.

She held onto them, bodies sweating and trying to catch their breath. A moment later they heard a knock on the shack door. "Hey are you two alright in there? I saw you guys running... Is everything okay...?" Maka asked through the door. Lucia blushed deeply and his her face in his chest, afraid to answer her.

"Yeah we're fine," he called to her, attempting to keep his voice steady. "I was just calming her down. We'll be out in a bit!"

"Well alright..." She called and left. Lucia let out the breath she was holding. She nuzzled his chest and held onto him.

He blew out a shaky breath, glad that Maka hadn't decided to come into the shack. He held her close, kissing her forehead. "W-we probably should get dressed soon."

She moved her bottoms back into place and retied her top, helping him to his feet as she stabilized herself on the wall. "I don't want you to get in trouble..." She said, though she couldn't help but moan and twitch as his fluid spilled out of her, filling her bottoms. She held her hands over it, it even felt good coming back out. "I-I'm warm..." She told him, still sweating and unable to cool.

He held her steady, still panting. "I won't get in trouble. And I'm warm too. Maybe a dip in the ocean will help cool us off."

Her eyes widened and she backed up into a corner. "No no no no no!" She yelled defensively, blushing.

"Wha? Why?" he asked, confused at her behavior.

"I...I..." She blushed and looked down. "... I can't swim..." She admitted regrettably. She shuffled her feet and held herself, looking away.

He pulled her closer. "No need to be ashamed. I'm not the best swimmer either. Maybe we can sit in the shallow part and let the water run over us?" he offered with a smile.

"Okay..." She agreed, holding onto him. "We should go out now, I'm sure you're friends are worried..." She said. She opened the door and started out, but yelled and hopped back inside. "Ow! Mr. Sun bit me!" she yelled. Being so pale and having never really been in daylight, her skin was very sensitive.

"Let's get you some sun screen on," he chuckled, leading her out of the shack and to the umbrella. She sat down and he kneeled behind her, squeezing a generous amount of sunscreen into his hand and rubbing it all over her back.

"Ah that's cold!" She exclaimed, tucking her feet underneath her. "It feels kind of good..." She said, relaxing a little. "Will this keep Mr. Sun from hurting me?" She asked in an unintentionally adorable tone.

He giggled at her cuteness. "Well, as long as you wear sunscreen he won't."

"I trust you... Keep me safe Crona..." She said as she waited for him to finish.

"Don't worry, I always will," he smiled as he finished rubbing in the last of the lotion. "You ready?" he asked, standing up and offering her his hand.

She nodded nervously and stood, taking his hand. She slowly slid one of her feet out into the sand then backtracked. "That dirt is hot..." she said, but she tried again until she was used to it.

He smiled at her as he led her to the water. The cool current was a nice contrast to his overheated body as they stepped into the waves.

She stayed on the very edge of the water, still holding his hand but refusing to touch the cooling liquid. She shook a little as she stared at it. What if she drowned...? What if no one was paying attention to her and something happened..? All these bad thoughts circled in her head until she started to feel dizzy.

"Lucy," he whispered, shaking her hand a bit. "It's okay, I'm here. No need to worry, I'll protect you."

She pried her eyes from the water and looked at him, a small frown on her lips. Would she really be okay...? She took a deep breath and took a hesitant step into the water, tripping over a rock and landing in his arms with a dark blush.

"See? I'm here for you," he whispered, holding her close. "The water's not so scary, now is it?"

She looked down at the water again. "I guess it isn't so bad..." She said as she squished her toes into the sand underneath. "Feels kind of... Good..."

"At least we're getting cooled off now," he grinned sheepishly, eluding to what had happened earlier.

She couldn't stop thinking about it. She hoped he'd enjoyed it as much as she did, but was too afraid to ask. A beach ball was thrown close by and Maka chuckled. "Hey, come on out here, let's play!" She yelled, about chest high in the water playing with Soul.

"Do you want to try or do you want to stay right here?" he asked her, content with either answer.

She frowned, the thought of him leaving her was scary, but she wanted him to have fun with his friends... "It's okay, you go…" She told him, letting go of him so he had the freedom to leave.

"I only want to go out there if you join me," he smiled at her, taking her hand in his again.

"But... It's so deep... I'll drown!" she said. It was true, she was so short that she couldn't go out as deep as the others, the water would go up to her forehead. "What if... What if I rode on your back...?"

"That sounds fine to me," he grinned, crouching down so she could jump onto him.

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and let him drag her out into the deeper waters. She was shaking, but she held onto him for dear life.

"It's all going to be okay," he reassured her as they went out deeper.

She held tighter but tried to relax. She knew she'd be safe with him, but it was still scary. She felt something slimy brush against her foot and screamed, jumping up on top of his shoulders, shaking and freaking out. "Something touched my foot!"

He fished the culprit out of the water. "It's just seaweed," he laughed tossing it back out into the ocean. They waded towards the others as Maka tossed the beach ball their way.

She tried to relax but she was scared, and she still wasn't sure about Maka. She hadn't really met the others but just being surrounded by people made her highly uncomfortable. She hid her face in the crook of Crona's neck as they approached.

"'Sup Crona? How're you?" Soul asked, smiling as he wrapped his arms around Maka, lying his head on her shoulder.

Lucia kept hiding in his shoulder, face burning red from being surrounded by so any people in an outside place.

"I'm good. Soul, Black*Star, Tsubaki, Kid, Liz, and Patty, I would like you to meet Lucy, my girlfriend," he said, smiling as gesturing to the girl on his back.

She became even redder at the word girlfriend and squealed a little into his shoulder.

"Nice to meet ya," Soul smiled, holding Maka closer. Tsubaki nodded happily at her.

He squealed again and held Crona tighter. "I'm scared." She whispered in his ear.

"It's okay, they won't hurt you," he whispered back to her.

"I don't like people..." She whispered back, starting to shake. "I-I feel strange again... Like... Maybe I need more blood..?"

"Go ahead," he whispered, moving his head slightly to expose his neck for her.

"B-but your friends..." She tried to make a point but his neck was so tantalizing. She nuzzled his neck before biting into it gently at first then harder.

"It's fine," he whisper-groaned. He tried to keep himself in check around his friends since he knew that her biting and drinking from him normally turned him on.

She held closely, trying to put herself in a position that it didn't look like she was biting him as she drank, feeling a bit calmer as it slid down her throat. "It tastes so good, Crona... Like candy..." She told him before she continued.

He shivered and starting sinking down a bit in the water, pleasure filling his body. "You okay man?" Soul asked, noticing his odd behavior.

"Y-yeah! I'm fine!" he said, waving his hands to distract them from his weird behavior.

"I'm sorry..." She said as she released him and washed the blood away with water, feeling a little more relaxed.

"You're fine," he whispered, leaning up to kiss her lovingly.

She returned it, blushing as his friends teased them but she didn't care.

"Ow ow!" Black*Star yelled, swimming over to pat Crona on the back.

Lucy blushed profusely, hiding behind Crona as everyone swam over to pick on them.

"I'm glad you found someone Crona," Kid said earnestly.

She blushed again and kept hiding, letting him have the attention.

Maka kept eyeing Lucy, trying to figure out what she thought of her.

"T-take me back... I don't feel well, I want to sit under the umbrella..." She told him nervously, practically feeling Maka eyes watching her.

"Okay," he frowned, walking her back to the shore. "You okay?"

"I don't know, I'm really scared and shaky... Mr. Sun is starting to hurt again..." She said, frowning. "You go have fun, I'm gonna sit for a while..." she told him, heading to the umbrella and curled in a ball.

"Are you sure?" he asked, not wanting to leave her when she wasn't feeling good.

"I'll be fine... I'll watch you play from here." She told him, tucking her knees up to her chest.

"O-okay…" he muttered before joining them in the water. His thoughts kept wandering back to Lucy and how he hoped that she was okay.

She watched him from shore, tucking her chin in her knees.

"Is she okay..?" Maka asked Crona, feeling like maybe they'd done something to upset her.

"She told me she just didn't feel well," he replied with a frown.

"She looks uncomfortable..." Maka said frowning. She took Crona's hand and drug him to shore toward her and Soul's stuff. "Here" she said, handing Crona some money she pulled for Soul's jean pocket. "Here's ten bucks, go get her a nice meal and a shake. Maybe that'll cheer her up." She said with a smile and pushed him toward the food shack.

"Hey Lucy. Let's go get some food," Crona offered as he extended his end to help her up off the sand.

"I-I'm not hungry... I'll just eat some sand okay? I think I saw a crab I could catch..." She said, tightening her grip on her knees.

"You are not eating sand or a crab," he said with a frown, pulling her up from the sand with a squeak of protest from her. "We're gonna go eat, okay? I know you're hungry."

She blushed. "N-no really! You don't have to buy anything for me!" She tried to protest, pulling away from him a little. Kid approached and placed a hand on her shoulder, making her freeze up like stone and squeak.

"You have to try and eat something, you know my father has been telling me about your eating habits at the school." He said, his focus mainly on Crona. "He tells me you don't touch the food, you push it away and eat rocks. They'd had to clean up the cell everyday to keep you from eating them. Now tell me, why is that little Lucia?" He asked, tattling on her to help Crona better understand her situation but Lucy refused to answer.

"Lucy, you know rocks aren't good for you to eat," Crona sighed, pulling her close. "We're gonna go get you some good food, okay?"

"Crona, I'd like to speak to you a moment before you go, if that's alright." Kid told him, hoping Lucia would allow them to speak privately.

"Okay?" Crona questioned, leaving Lucy by the umbrella. He was curious as to what the Shinigami had to say.

Kid placed his arm around Crona's shoulder and pulled I'm so yet were facing away from Lucia. "Listen, I just thought you should be aware... Lucia has been scheduled for surgery tomorrow with Dr. Stein to pull those rocks out of her stomach. They can't be digested and no other food will make its way into her bowels with them in the way. After the surgery, you'll have to keep a close eye on her so she won't do it again." He told Crona, a worried look on his face.

His face paled as he took in Kid's words. "D-does she know about the surgery?" he asked, concern evident in his voice.

He shook his head. "She's been with you, so no one had the chance. And I didn't want to ruin her first day outside..." He said. "You should probably tell her, but maybe wait until after you go home... She should spend today having fun."

"O-okay. Thanks," he whispered, walking over to Lucy, trying to mask his fear. As he got to her, he put on a false smile. "Come on. There's a nice burger joint not too far from here," he spoke, grabbing her hand.

She sighed, going up on struggling since this was obviously happening, and followed him, sulking. "... Am I in trouble...?" She asked, wondering if Kid tattling on her made Crona want to punish her.

"Not at all," he smiled, dragging her along. "I'm just hungry and want to treat you to some food." He wanted to make sure she ate the meal before he told her about the surgery.

She smiled a little as he spoke. "I-I can try to eat..." she said confidently, or as confident as she got.

"That's good," he smiled, squeezing her hand. He was nervous to tell her about the surgery. They got to the burger joint, and he took her to the counter. "Order whatever you want," he whispered, pulling her close.

"I don't eat food, I don't know what looks good... You order!" she said nervously and pushed the menu to him, looking down nervously.

He smiled at her and pulled her closer. He ordered two burgers, two fires, and two chocolate shakes, hoping that she would enjoy the food. He paid and took her to a booth, sitting across from her.

She sat, twiddling her fingers nervously as they waited for the food. "So…Uhm..." She wasn't sure what to say.

"Did you enjoy your first trip to the beach?" he asked, holding her hand and caressing the back of it with his thumb.

"It was... Fun..." She said with a happy tone, but she was upset with herself for her behavior.

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. Next time, just the two of us will go, okay?" he asked with a smile.

She smiled and looked up at him. "Okay" she said happily. "H-hey Crona...?"

"Yes Lucy?" he asked. As soon as she opened her mouth to talk to him, the waitress came with their food, winking at the happy couple.

She blushed darkly and looked down at her food, nervous and questioning the meal out before her. "N-nevermind..." She said under her breath.

"You can tell me anything, you know that," he assured her with a smile as he started eating his fries.

"... Uhm... What did...? What did you feel about…? The shack...?" She asked nervously, not sure if he'd understand her. She picked up a fry, watching him eat it and true to copy. The tastes were a bit intense but it was good.

He reached across the table and cupped her cheek with his hand. "I enjoyed it and wouldn't want it any other way. Though next time, I do want to have you in a bed."

She blushed beet red and bit her lip and started stuffing her face with food before she said anything else.

He chuckled at her reaction, sipping on his milkshake.

After Lucia had eaten about a quarter of her meal, she had to stop. She sat back, rubbing her belly, now full.

Crona called the waitress over to get a to-go box for her. "You'll have a meal for later," he smiled at her.

She blushed and nodded, keeping her eyes away from the waitress as she boxed up her food for her. "Th-thank you..."

Crona had his food boxed up as well and they left the burger joint, hand in hand as the headed to his apartment.

She was blushing as they held hands in public, but she had a smile on her face.

They made it to his apartment and sat down on his couch. He felt his nerves rise as he looked at her. He knew he had to talk to her, yet he was trying to avoid it. "Lucy? There's something we need to talk about…" he started.

She looked at him, cocking her head, confused. "Yes Crona...? Did I do something bad..?" she asked nervously, but was ready to receive punishment if necessary.

"No you didn't do anything bad!" he spoke, flailing his arms. He took a deep breath. "It's about you eating rocks. You really can't do that anymore. It's making you really sick," he said, holding her hand close. "Dr. Stein said it's causing lots of internal problems, so they have to remove them."

"R-remove...? You mean like... Cut me open?" She asked nervously, her hand starting to shake. "Why? I... I..." She couldn't come up with an excuse as to why she shouldn't have them removed, she started to cry.

He pulled her close to him, kissing away her tears. "Hey, it will be okay. I will be by your side the whole time," he whispered, reassuring her.

She rubbed the tears from her eyes with the back of her hands before tackling him in a hug, shaking and scared of what was to come.

He held her, rubbing her back soothingly as he whispered words of reassurance in her ear.

She tried to relax a little, holding onto him. "C-Crona...?" She whispered shakily as she sniffled. "...would you... Do it again..? What we did in the shack...?"

"Of course," he murmured, holding on to her, caressing her lovingly. "But only if you would want to."

"I want to..." She said as she looked up at him and pressed her lips to his. "Please..." She begged, climbing into his lap.

He moaned loud, gripping her hips.

"T-take me again... I need it..." She said, thrusting back and laying her head on his shoulder. "Be gentle with me..."

Internally, he groaned. He was still tired from before, and he wasn't sure if this was the best idea since she had just been told some shocking information. He felt like she was using this as a way to avoid what was to come. However, his body contradicted his emotions as he groaned, her hips grinding against his as he started to swell.

She wanted to feel some kind of distraction from what was to come.

"L-Lucy," he groaned out. Without his consent, his hands pulled her closer, wrapping him around his waist as he stood.

"Please... Please take me…" She begged, still shaking as he held her. She lied her head against his chest as she begged over and over for him to distract her, to make her forget what was to happen the next day.

Abandoning his common sense, he complied, kissing her roughly as he headed towards his bedroom, ready to help his woman in whatever way possible.

**A/N: **Tee hee suspense! Read and Review my lovelies!


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